LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


Zv 


TRACKS   AND   TRACKING 


TRACKS    AND 
TRACKING 


BY 

JOSEF    BRUNNER 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

OUTING    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 
MCMIX 


Copyright,  1909,  by 

OUTING   PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


All  Rights  Reserved 


CONTENTS 

Page 

FOREWORD       .          .          .          .          .       •   ,          .  ix 

GENERAL  REMARKS  3 


GROUP  ONE — HOOFED  GAME: 

The  White-Tailed  or  Virginia  Deer        .  .  .11 

The  Fan-Tailed  Deer 32 

The  Mule  Deer  ....  .39 

The  Wapiti  or  Elk     .  .  .  .          ..  .      43 

The  Moose .49 

The  Mountain  Sheep            .           .           .           .           .55 
The  Antelope 61 

PREDACEOUS  ANIMALS: 

The  Bear 73 

The  Cougar .92 

The  Lynx          .......    101 

The  Domestic  Cat 107 

The  Wolf 109 

The  Coyote .118 

The  Fox  .  .    121 

WHAT  TRACKING  MEANS  AND  SOME  HUNTING  METHODS      125 

GROUP  Two: 

The  Jack-Rabbit 135 

The  Varying  Hare 140 

The  Cottontail  Rabbit 144 

The  Squirrel 148 

vii 


CONTENTS 


GROUP  THREE: 

Page 

The  Marten  and  the  Black-Footed  Ferret        .          .153 
The  Otter  .          .          .157 

The  Mink 161 

The  Ermine 164 

GROUP  FOUR: 

The  Beaver 171 

The  Badger 180 

The  Porcupine 186 

The  Skunk 192 

PART   II 
FEATHERED  GAME: 

Feathered  Game         .  .          .          .          .  .197 

Upland  Birds 199 

Waterfowls .211 

Predatory  Birds 214 


FOREWORD 

TO  derive  the  greatest  pleasure  from  the 
pursuit  of  game,  either  large  or  small,  it 
is  necessary  that  the  disciple  of  Nimrod  be 
versed  in  the  science  of  interpreting  the  meaning 
of  tracks  and  trails.  Nature  is  as  an  open  book 
to  the  man  who  can  read  the  signs  of  the  woods 
and  plains  correctly;  and  where  the  uninitiated 
see  only  meaningless  tracks,  experienced  hunters 
find  them  in  many  instances  the  guide  to  exhil- 
arating sport  and  a  desired  trophy.  To  the  tyro 
the  finest  tracking  snow  is  useless  and  the  marks 
he  sees  everywhere  around  him  simply  bewilder 
him.  Were  he  able  to  read  them  as  every  hunter 
should,  his  day's  sport  would  mean  enjoyment 
and  success,  instead  of  disappointment  and 
failure. 

Game  is  not  so  plentiful  as  it  used  to  be,  and 
for  this  reason  it  is  generally  a  waste  of  time — 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  game  bag — merely  to 
tramp   through   the  woods   and  trust  to   luck. 

ix 


FOREWORD 


Moreover,  the  high-power,  small-caliber  rifles, 
which  are  so  extensively  used,  very  often  lead 
to  shots  at  distances  at  which  it  is  not  possible 
to  place  an  immediately  fatal  bullet.  This  makes 
it  the  more  necessary  for  the  hunter  to  be  able 
to  read  the  signs  correctly  and  to  interpret  aright 
the  language  of  the  trails.  Every  sportsman 
should  consider  it  a  sacred  duty  to  bring  to  bay 
any  animal  he  has  wounded,  and  he  should  also 
regard  it  a  matter  of  honor  to  acquire  a  working 
knowledge  of  tracks,  trails,  and  signs.  Then  he 
will  not,  through  ignorance,  make  carrion  or  wolf- 
bait  of  a  noble  creature  which,  in  all  reason,  he 
should  have  secured. 

A  sportsman  who  is  unable  to  interpret  the 
meaning  of  tracks  he  encounters,  however  much 
game  he  may  have  killed  by  chance,  luck,  or  with 
the  assistance  of  others,  will  be  considered  a  tyro 
in  woodcraft  by  companions  who  have  learned 
their  lessons  in  this  art. 

Lack  of  opportunity  on  the  part  of  the  major- 
ity of  sportsmen  to  become  versed  in  tracking 
lore  by  actual  experience,  as  well  as  the  incompe- 
tence of  a  great  number  of  guides,  is  the  reason 


FOREWORD 


for  this  book.  The  contents  represent  the  experi- 
ence gained  from  twenty  years  of  uninterrupted 
life  in  the  great  outdoors;  and  while  only  half  of 
that  time  was  spent  in  the  pursuit  and  study  of 
American  game,  the  foreign  experience  was  a 
considerable  aid  in  arriving  at  definite  conclu- 
sions, for  the  same  species,  with  but  few  excep- 
tions, show  the  same  features  in  their  trails  the 
world  over. 

No  space  has  been  given  to  microscopic  intrica- 
cies, since  in  the  woods  plain  tracking  lore  is  in- 
tricate enough.  In  practice  whoever  looks  for 
exaggerated,  fine,  distinctive  features  in  tracks 
and  trails  soon  sees  things  which  a  sober-minded 
expert  recognizes  as  imaginative. 

***** 

It  is  generally  understood  that  a  track  means 
the  imprint  left  on  the  ground  or  snow  by  a 
passing  creature.  From  its  form  and  appear- 
ance the  initiated  are  usually  able  to  tell  the 
species,  and  in  some  cases  the  variety,  of  animal 
that  made  it.  Where  the  latter  is  not  possible, 
a  succession  of  tracks — the  trail,  in  short — is 

xi 


FOREWORD 


almost  invariably  the  means  of  reaching  a  proper 
decision.  The  expert  considers  not  only  tracks 
and  trails,  but  also  the  "  signs,"  among  which 
are  the  behavior  of  animals  under  certain  circum- 
stances, blazed  trees,  bear  logs,  beaver  stumps 
and  cuttings,  excrements,  etc.,  etc.  A  mere 
treatise  of  tracks,  trails  and  signs  would  in 
many  instances  leave  the  inexperienced  man 
without  a  comprehensive  knowledge;  therefore 
certain  actions  of  the  hunted,  and  notes  on  hunt- 
ing methods  which  have  proved  practical,  al- 
though they  are  not  generally  known,  have  been 
introduced  into  the  text. 

It  is  believed  that  a  thorough  study  of  this 
book,  including  the  illustrations,  will  enable  the 
reader  to  become  as  well  versed  in  tracking  lore 
as  he  could  by  years  of  actual  experience  in  the 
woods. 


Xll 


TRACKS  AND  TRACKING 


TRACKS  AND  TRACKING 

GENERAL    REMARKS 

About  the  Motive  Features  of  Different 
Animals 

TAKING  it  for  granted  that  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  individual  tracks  in  the  trail 
is  due  to  the  general  anatomic  make-up  of 
the  animal  which  made  them,  we  have  to  consider 
four  groups  in  the  treatise  on  mammals. 

The  first,  the  members  of  which  possess  a 
length  of  body  correctly  proportional  to  their 
height,  includes  the  deer,  ox,  bear,  dog,  and  cat 
families. 

The  second  includes  rabbits,  squirrels,  and 
animals  whose  hind  legs  are  very  long  in  propor- 
tion to  their  front  legs. 

The  third  is  made  up  of  those  animals  whose 
legs,  considering  the  length  of  their  bodies,  are 
very  short — marten,  mink,  etc. 

3 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


The  fourth  group  embraces  the  animals  whose 
legs  are  very  short  in  proportion  to  the  length  of 
the  body,  and  whose  bodies,  in  addition  to  this, 
are  disproportionately  thick — 'beaver,  badger, 
etc. 

Of  the  various  movements,  we  have  to  consider 
the  walk,  the  trot,  and  the  gallop.  Animals  of 
the  first  group  plant  the  feet  diagonally  in  the 
walk  and  trot.  The  hind  foot  track  covers  the 
one  made  by  the  forefoot  of  the  same  side.  If 
the  right  forefoot  touches  the  ground  first,  the 
left  hind  foot  is  placed  next,  then  the  left  fore- 
foot, and  last  the  right  hind  foot.  Thus  four 
footfalls  may  be  heard  when  hoofed  animals 
are  walking. 

In  the  trot,  which  is  but  a  hastened  walk,  the 
trail  assumes  more  the  form  of  a  straight  line, 
because  the  animal  endeavors  to  plant  the  feet 
more  under  the  middle  of  the  body  to  obviate  the 
swaying  motion;  and  because  of  the  quicker 
action,  in  which  two  feet  touch  the  ground  at  the 
same  moment,  but  two  distinct  footfalls  can  be 
heard. 

The  gallop,  the  quickest  movement  onward,  is 

4 


GENERAL    REMARKS 


a  series  of  leaps  or  jumps.  In  it  the  hind  feet 
serve  mainly  as  propellers  while  the  forefeet  sup- 
port and  brace  the  body;  and  for  this  reason  the 
former  are  placed  side  by  side,  or  nearly  so,  while 
the  latter  stand  one  behind  the  other  in  the  trail. 
The  faster  the  gallop,  the  more  closely  do  the 
tracks  conform  to  these  conditions.  In  the  great- 
est speed  of  some  members  of  the  deer  family  the 
hind  feet  also  come  nearer  the  center  line,  as 
shown  in  the  illustrations.  As,  by  the  velocity 
of  the  movement,  the  hind  feet  are  thrown  past 
the  point  where  the  forefeet  strike  the  ground, 
their  imprints  appear  in  front  of  those  of  the 
latter,  a  fact  which  should  be  kept  constantly  in 
mind  by  the  trailer,  since,  in  the  case  of  an  animal 
with  a  broken  leg,  the  appearance  of  the  leap  im- 
prints are  usually  the  only  means  to  decide  which 
leg  is  broken.  In  animals  of  the  first  group  a 
broken  foreleg  is  always  more  serious  than  an 
injured  hind  leg,  and  therefore  the  game  is  easier 
brought  to  bag. 

In  members  of  the  second  group  there  is  but 
one  motion,  no  matter  whether  they  are  moving 
slow  or  fast — the  hind  feet  are  always  thrown 

5 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


ahead  of  the  forefeet,  and  the  track  picture  is 
that  of  the  leap. 

As  the  hind  feet  of  animals  of  this  group  are 
considerably  larger  than  the  forefeet,  it  is  easily 
determined  which  individual  foot  has  made  a 
given  track. 

The  animals  of  the  third  group  move  usually  in 
leaps,  but  on  account  of  the  length  of  body  and 
the  shortness  of  the  limbs,  the  hind  feet  are  not 
placed  as  far  ahead  of  the  front  pair  as  in  the 
preceding  group.  At  the  usual  gait  the  hind 
feet  cover  the  forefeet  tracks,  and  the  trail  pic- 
ture therefore  shows  a  pair  of  tracks  side  by  side 
at  regular  distances.  At  a  faster  pace  the  trail 
picture  changes,  as  shown  in  the  illustrations; 
however,  this  is  so  seldom  done  as  to  be  of  almost 
no  consequence  to  the  tracker. 

Members  of  the  fourth  group,  like  those  of  the 
first,  walk  and  leap ;  however,  the  size  of  the  body 
and  the  shortness  of  the  legs  combine  to  make  a 
track  picture  entirely  different  from  and  not 
easily  confounded  with  the  trail  of  the  latter. 
The  individual  tracks  are  close  together,  consider- 
ing their  size,  and  the  toes  of  the  hind  feet  almost 

6 


GENERAL    REMARKS 


invariably  point  inward  to  a  marked  degree, 
reaching  an  extreme  limit  in  the  beaver  and  the 
badger. 

With  the  exception  of  the  members  of  the  sec- 
ond group  and  the  beaver,  the  hind  feet  of  all 
animals  are  smaller  than  the  forefeet,  a  fact 
which,  in  some  instances,  has  its  uses  when  fol- 
lowing the  trail 


PART    ONE 


GROUP  I 
HOOFED    GAME 


THE   WHITE-TAILED  OR  VIRGINIA 
DEER 

THOUGH  the  American  sportsman  still 
can  enjoy  in  some  districts,  as  an  inherit- 
ance from  prehistoric  times,  the  pursuit 
of  the  majestic  moose,  and  though  the  lordly  elk 
still  awakens  the  echoes  in  many  of  our  mountain 
ranges  with  his  challenging  call,  the  game  in 
which  the  great  majority  of  hunters  are  pre-emi- 
nently interested  is  the  elusive  white-tailed  deer, 
which  is  found  in  all  the  states  except  California, 
Nevada,  Oregon,  and  Delaware,  and  because  to 
bring  it  down  demands,  to  say  the  least,  no  less 
skill  than  is  required  in  the  pursuit  of  its  larger 
relatives. 

Though,  under  ordinary  conditions,  a  single 
track  of  any  other  animal  is  nearly  sufficient  to 
ascertain  the  species  or  variety,  the  case  is  differ- 
ent /where  white-tailed  and  mule  deer  are  con- 
cerned— that  is,  if  they  inhabit  the  same  locality; 
and  even  a  small  elk  track  may  be  taken  for  that 
of  the  white-tailed  deer. 

11 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


The  track  of  a  mule  deer,  roaming  in  rocky 
hills  or  out  in  the  arid  breaks  of  the  Bad  Lands, 
is  of  course  a  very  different  thing  from  that  of 
a  white-tail,  but  let  the  animals  make  their  per- 
manent stand  in  white-tail  country  proper,  and 
almost  all  difference  in  their  track  soon  disap- 
pears. It  is  evident  that  the  sole  of  their  hoof 
undergoes  the  same  change  as  that  of  a  horse, 
which  can  be  ridden  daily  without  shoes  in  dry 
regions,  but  which  will  get  footsore  within  a  day 
or  two  if  it  is  transferred  into  a  district  where 
rain  and  dew  moisten  the  grass  and  keep  the 
ground  damp. 

Considering  the  individual  track,  the  hoof  of 
the  Virginia  deer  evidently  spreads  easier  than 
that  of  any  other  member  of  the  family,  except 
moose  and  caribou.  It  is  because  of  this  that, 
during  the  season  when  they  are  in  good  condi- 
tion and  in  hunting  time,  the  ridge  of  dirt  or 
snow  that  is  made  between  the  two  halves  of  the 
hoof,  and  left  in  the  track,  is  much  more  con- 
spicuous than  that  left  by  any  other  deer.  How- 
ever, if  the  conditions  are  not  ideal — and  they 
most  certainly  are  not  if  snow  is  on  the  ground, 

12 


VIRGINIA  DEER 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


under  which  circumstances  most  tracking  is 
done — the  variance  appears  so  slight  that  it  can 
be  noticed  only  by  examining  minutely  a  perfect 
track,  which  may  be  found  along  the  trail  under 
some  tree  where  not  more  than  an  inch  of  snow 
has  fallen  or  at  a  barren  spot. 

The  writer  does  not  depend  on  the  size  of  the 
track  in  deciding  whether  it  was  made  by  a  buck 
or  a  doe,  as  he  has  seen  many  does  which  have 
made  as  large  tracks  as  the  largest  bucks;  and 
the  common  claim  that  rounded  toes  always  indi- 
cate a  buck  he  has  also  found  to  be  a  fallacy. 
Sometimes  it  is  noticeable  in  the  trail  that  the 
hind  feet  lag,  i.  e.,  they  do  not  quite  reach  the 
forefeet  tracks.  This  almost  invariably  means 
an  old  buck  which  has  become  rather  stiff  with 
age.  The  chance  that  the  same  mark  is  made  by 
an  old  sterile  doe  is  remote,  though,  according  to 
observations,  possible. 

Not  infrequently,  at  least  much  oftener  than 
with  black-tail  and  elk,  a  marked  difference 
between  the  two  halves  of  the  hoof  may  be  ob- 
served in  the  track  of  the  Virginia  deer,  and  the 
tracks  of  the  latter  appear  more  slender  than 

14 


I 

I 


SV 

I 


TRACKS  OF  VIRGINIA  DEER 

(1)  Trail  of  buck  before  and  after  rutting  season.  (2)  During  rutting  season  the 
drag  extends  from  one  step  to  the  next.  (3)  Trail  of  doe  and  fawn;  the 
latter,  however,  takes  still  shorter  steps.  (4)  Buck  or  doe  trotting. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


those  of  the  former — that  is,  in  the  same  locality. 
Some  claim  that  they  can  always  distinguish  the 
track  of  Virginia  from  that  of  other  deer,  but 
the  writer  counts  himself  among  those  who  can 
not,  and  he  has  noticed  that  the  hunters  who  claim 
the  skill  are  in  the  same  predicament  when  out 
in  the  woods. 

Accurate  measurements  with  the  divider  and 
tapeline  would  possibly  show  some  slight  differ- 
ences in  the  tracks  of  the  various  kinds  of  similar 
sized  deer,  but  they  would  be  so  diminutive  and 
variable  as  to  be  worthless  in  practice. 

The  trail,  together  with  other  signs,  is  much 
more  significant  of  the  doings,  ailments  and  sex 
of  the  animal  than  an  individual  track  would  be. 
During  the  summer  months  the  buck,  and,  it 
must  be  admitted,  the  sterile  doe  also,  accumu- 
lates a  considerable  amount  of  fat;  and  the 
result  is  markedly  shown  in  the  placing  of  the 
feet,  their  tracks  being  an  appreciable  degree  off 
the  center  line  supposed  to  be  under  the  middle 
of  the  body.  For  this  reason  the  toes  of  the 
hoof  point  more  outward  than  is  usual  in  the  doe 
and  fawn.  From  this  it  might  appear  that  a 

16 


THE  WHITE-TAILED  OR  VIRGINIA  DEER 

A, 


r 

IH. 


H. 


2' F. 


I 


VIRGINIA  DEER.     (ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

(1)  Front  track.  (2)  Hind  track.  (3)  Lagging  back  of  hind  feet;  sign 
of  the  old  buck.  (4)  Overhastening;  vie  sign  of  the  young  buck. 
3  and  4  also  apply  to  the  elk  bull. 

single  track,  or  a  few  of  them,  would  be  sufficient 
to  decide  the  sex,  but  it  is  not;  because  any  deer 
in  crossing  a  trackable  spot  is  likely  to  look  to  the 
right  and  then  to  the  left,  and  the  tracks  will 
point  in  the  direction  the  animal  has  looked. 

Does  heavy  with  fawns  show  similar  features 
in  their  trail,  but  as  there  are  no  such  does  dur- 

17 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


ing  autumn,  we  can  pass  them  over.  A  buck 
always  has  the  tendency  to  drag  his  legs,  a  fea- 
ture which  reaches  the  climax  during  rutting 
season,  while  any  doe,  even  the  sterile,  steps  clean 
if  the  snow  is  less  than  one  foot  deep.  This  fact 
makes  it  possible  to  tell  a  buck's  track  with  cer- 
tainty, even  if  tracking  conditions  are  not  favor- 
able, because  there  is  always  some  displacement 
behind  and  in  front  of  the  tracks  which  is  readily 
observed  in  sand  or  dry  snow. 

There  is  one  other  feature  by  which  the  trail 
of  a  white-tail  buck  can  be  distinguished  from 
that  of  a  doe,  and  even  that  of  the  buck  of  black- 
tails,  and  that  is  the  animal's  habit  of  scanning 
the  surroundings  while  standing  near  trees,  wind- 
falls, and  the  like.  An  old  buck  at  leisure  will 
take  careful  observations  two  or  three  times  in- 
side of  a  hundred  yards,  except  during  the  rut- 
ting season,  when  he  is  too  busy  to  spend  so  much 
time  for  safety's  sake,  and  he  always  does  this 
from  what  he  evidently  considers  cover. 

In  open  forests  are  often  seen  places  where  the 
ground  has  been  pawed  up,  and  the  ground  cov- 
ering, moss,  leaves  or  sod,  thrown  in  eveiy  direc- 

18 


c 


HIND  FOOT  OF  VIRGINIA  DEER.    (SLIGHTLY  REDUCED) 

(A)  Dew  claws.     (B)   Heels.     (C)  Soles.     (D)  Toes. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


tion.  This  always  indicates  the  presence  of  at 
least  two  old  bucks  in  the  same  locality,  and  is 
never  done  by  does. 

About  the  first  of  September  bucks  begin  to 
cleanse  their  horns  of  the  velvet  and  small  trees 
and  bushes  exhibit  the  signs  of  having  been  used 
for  that  purpose.  Where  such  signs  are  found 
in  roomy  forests  near  dense  thickets,  the  sports- 
man can,  with  moderate  certainty,  count  on  get- 
ting a  trophy  by  stalking  quietly  or  waiting  from 
sunrise  to  about  8  o'clock  A.M.,  or  from  an  hour 
or  so  before  sundown  until  dark.  Of  course  it 
is  easier  to  get  meat  for  the  pot  near  streams  and 
feeding  places,  where  there  are  plenty  of  tracks, 
but  as  doe  and  fawn  shooting  aims  at  the  base 
of  life,  and  as  old  bucks  usually  do  not  make 
their  appearance  there  as  long  as  it  is  light  enough 
for  a  rifle  shot,  I  would  not  advise  one  to  stalk 
or  wait  there  at  all.  Stalking  during  rainy  days 
in  open  forests  where  bucks  have  left  evidences, 
such  as  blazed  trees,  will,  as  a  rule,  be  rewarded. 
At  that  time,  game  being  comparatively  undis- 
turbed, most  deer  are  shot  at  while  standing,  and 
even  a  poor  shot  can  hardly  miss.  However,  as 

20 


THE  WHITE-TAILED  OR  VIRGINIA  DEER 

tracking  is  more  difficult  than  when  snow  covers 
the  ground,  it  is  advisable  to  watch  the  deer 
closely  for  the  signs  at  the  moment  of  firing. 

The  most  important  sign  to  observe  is  the 
action  of  the  game  when  it  receives  the  missile, 
since  it  is  an  evidence  of  where  it  was  hit.  If  struck 
somewhere  in  the  front  half,  it  usually  jumps  into 
the  air — that  is,  if  it  does  not  drop  instantly, 
which  incident  we  have  no  need  to  consider  in  this 
connection — and  if  struck  in  the  hind  half,  it  will 
kick  out  with  the  hind  legs.  A  deer  shot  through 
the  heart  seldom  drops  immediately.  After  the 
first  jump,  which  is  often  hardly  perceptible  and 
no  doubt  overlooked  by  the  average  hunter,  it  gen- 
erally makes  off  at  top  speed,  running  close  down 
to  the  ground.  It  may  run  only  fifty  yards,  and 
it  may  run  five  hundred,  but  one  thing  is  certain 
—the  hunter  can  follow  at  once,  and  the  animal 
will  be  dead  by  the  time  he  reaches  it. 

The  most  striking  exception  to  the  rule  of 
heart  shots  the  writer  saw  in  the  Snowy  Moun- 
tains, Montana,  during  1904.  A  buck  was  gal- 
loping, broadside  exposed,  at  a  distance  of  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  yards,  and  was  fired  at. 

21 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


Four  or  five  jumps  after  the  shot  was  fired  he 
stopped  behind  some  trees,  which  prevented 
another  shot.  He  remained  hidden  a  few  seconds, 
then  trotted  about  thirty  yards  and  stopped 
again;  finally  he  trotted  off,  directly  away  from 
me,  and  if  ever  I  would  have  sworn  that  a  deer 
was  missed,  I  would  have  done  so  then. 

However,  force  of  habit  compelled  me  to  fol- 
low the  trail,  and  about  two  hundred  yards  from 
where  he  stopped  last,  the  buck  lay  stone  dead. 
The  bullet,  a  steel- jacketed  .30  U.  S.,  had  pene- 
trated the  heart  squarely,  and  made  a  hole  the 
size  of  a  quarter.  There  was  not  a  drop  of  blood 
along  the  trail.  Moral:  Follow  the  deer,  even 
if  you  think  you  have  missed. 

A  deer  shot  through  the  lungs  usually  goes 
off,  after  the  first  jump,  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened to  it.  There  is  no  variance  in  its  trail  from 
that  of  an  uninjured  deer,  but  alongside  the  trail 
there  is  in  every  case  the  story  of  where  the  bul- 
let hit,  in  the  shape  of  foamy,  light-colored  blood. 
This  trail,  too,  may  be  followed  immediately. 

A  liver  shot  is,  perhaps,  the  least  satisfactory 
of  any.  Sometimes  the  deer  on  being  shot 


* 


** 
AA 


(1)  Trail  of  a  deer  shot  through  brisket,  and  leg  broken  low  in  shoulder. 
(2)  Trail  of  a  deer  shot  through  the  shoulders  high.  (3)  Trail  of  a 
deer  with  broken  foreleg — the  lower  the  leg  is  broken  the  more 
drag  there  is. 

The  shoulder  shot  (No.  2)  should  be  followed  immediately.  It  is  best 
to  shoot  again  when  a  deer  gets  up  after  the  first  shot  strikes  it 
here.  They  always  drop  like  dead  when  shot  thus. 


0.  A 


A". 


M 


A 


M  A 

M 


I  A   * 

(1)  Trail  of  a  deer  with  broken  hind  leg — the  lower  the  leg  is  broken 
the  more  drag  there  is.  (2)  Trail  of  a  deer  shot  through  the  ham. 
(3)  This  trail  usually  means  shot  through  intestines,  liver  and  often 
lungs  at  the  same  time;  the  animal  will  not  go  much  over  a  mile, 
even  if  not  given  time  to  get  sick,  and  death  results  in  less  than 
two  hours. 


128 

OA  H 

I™  II 

n 

ft  ft  *  *  " 

**  8 

: 

A    *• 

t>  *  *    \ 

« 


rt    « 

ft        ft 


«.  ft  A  * 


8 


(1)  Same  as  No.  3  on  opposite  page,  but  bullet  did  not  penetrate  to  the 
lungs.  The  animal  dies  slowly,  and  after  a  couple  of  hours  is 
usually  shot  in  its  bed.  (2)  The  cross  jump;  result  of  a  bullet 
through  intestines  or  liver  when  the  animal  was  broadside  to  the 
hunter — usually  the  slowest  killing  shot.  (3)  The  tracks  of  a 
wounded  deer  never  register  where  the  animal  was  walking. 

AH  these  curious  jumps  may  be  seen  on  one  trail,  alternating  with  jumps  as  made  by 
a  sound  deer.  They  indicate  soft  shots,  and  should  not  be  followed  within  two  hours 
after  the  animal  was  shot.  Blood,  etc.,  on  the  trail  decides  for  the  tracker  where  the 
bullet  struck.  Usually  the  less  blood  the  surer  the  animal  will  be  found  dead  after  a 
few  hours. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


through  the  liver,  kicks,  and  at  other  times  it 
humps  itself  up,  but  always  it  leaves  the  place 
at  a  quite  lively  rate,  making  a  trail  like  a  lung- 
shot  deer,  with  here  and  there  a  cross  jump 
between.  ( See  illustration. )  It  is  hard  to  advise 
what  one  should  do  in  this  case.  I  generally 
smoke  a  pipeful  of  tobacco  before  taking  up  the 
trail,  to  give  the  animal  time  to  lie  down.  After 
that  I  follow  and  try  to  get  another  shot.  While 
I  have  killed  deer  instantly  with  shots  through 
the  liver,  there  have  been  some  that  I  never 
brought  to  bag. 

Once  I  killed  an  elk  three  days  after  we  had 
fried  parts  of  its  liver  which  had  dropped  out 
through  the  hole  made  by  a  projectile  from  a 
heavy-caliber  English  rifle,  used  previously  for 
hunting  elephants.  At  another  time  I  killed  a 
deer  one  year  after  having  shot  it  through  the 
liver.  When  killed,  this  deer  was  apparently  as 
well  and  fat  as  could  be,  though  in  place  of  the 
soft  liver  we  found  a  hard  mass. 

A  shot  through  the  intestines  causes  the  animal 
to  kick  violently,  hump  up  its  back,  and  go  off 
at  a  slow  rate.  It  usually  lies  down  within  a 

26 


THE  WHITE-TAILED  OR  VIRGINIA  DEER 

quarter  of  a  mile,  and  stays  down  if  not  molested 
too  soon.  Along  the  trail  may  be  found  a  little 
dark-colored  blood,  and  sometimes  matter  the 
animal  has  eaten.  Deer  shot  thus  should  not  be 
followed  before  at  least  two  hours  have  passed, 
since  if  jumped  they  often  go  for  miles.  A  deer 
with  a  broken  leg  may  be  followed  at  once,  though 
the  chase  is  usually  quicker  ended  if  half  an  hour 
is  given  for  the  animal  to  settle  down. 

In  my  opinion  a  sportsman  who  does  any  con- 
siderable hunting  for  big  game  should  have  his 
dog  trained  to  follow  a  track  as  far  as  his  master 
will  follow  him.  A  dog  that  runs  deer  is  useless, 
and  if  he  will  not  stay  close  to  his  master  he 
must  be  kept  on  a  leash.  There  is  no  law  in  any 
State  against  such  use  of  a  dog,  and  it  would  save 
much  hard  work  to  the  man  whose  eye  is  not 
trained  for  tracking  when  there  is  no  snow. 

Besides  the  signs  visible  when  a  deer  is  shot, 
there  are  those  which  are  brought  to  the  hunter's 
knowledge  through  his  ear:  a  hard,  sharp  sound 
conveying  the  intelligence  that  a  bone  is  struck 
(and  if  it  is  not  a  leg  the  deer  will  hardly  run), 
and  a  dull  "  thud  "  telling  that  a  soft  part  is  hit. 

27 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


In  any  and  every  case  the  hunter  should  examine 
minutely  the  place  where  the  game  stood  when 
it  was  shot  at.  The  hair  cut  off  by  the  bullet  is 
often  of  great  assistance  in  determining  the  loca- 
tion of  the  wound,  and  the  torn-up  needles  or 
ground  often  show  if  the  animal  jumped  or 
kicked  as  it  was  shot.  Remember  that  the  suc- 
cessful hunter  is  never  in  a  hurry,  and  minutes 
spent  in  close  observation  will  often  save  hours 
of  exhausting  chase. 

Later  in  the  season,  when  rough  winds  have 
robbed  deciduous  bushes  of  their  leaves,  bucks 
generally  change  their  day  stand,  abandoning 
quaking-aspen  thickets,  and  settling  down 
among  windfalls  and  small  coniferous  trees, 
thereby  offering  better  chances  for  shots  at  any 
hour  of  the  day.  Still  later,  during  the  rutting 
season,  the  biggest  specimens  and  best  fighters 
will  occupy  those  roomy,  open  forests,  where  in 
September  and  early  October  they  make  their 
appearance  only  during  morning  and  evening 
hours.  These  old  over-lords  at  this  time  select 
the  places  of  a  wider  view,  apparently  to  see 
others  of  their  kind  that  may  pass,  to  fight  them 

28 


HOOF  OF  BLACK-TAILED  DEER.     (SLIGHTLY  REDUCED) 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


off  their  range  if  they  are  bucks,  and  to  claim 
ownership  of  them  if  they  are  does.  The  white- 
tail  buck  does  not  keep  a  harem,  as  is  done  by 
the  elk  and  to  some  extent  by  the  black-tailed 
deer,  but  stays  with  a  doe  a  few  days  only,  gen- 
erally two  or  three,  and  then  looks  out  for  adven- 
tures elsewhere,  or,  more  probably,  the  doe  does 
not  care  for  his  company  after  being  satisfied,  and 
avoids  him.  Before  the  close  of  the  hunting  sea- 
son, where  it  is  extended  until  January  1,  bucks 
again  stay  in  thickets  as  prior  to  the  rutting  sea- 
son, and  soon  after  migrate  to  their  winter  range, 
where  they,  in  company  with  does  and  fawns, 
spend  the  rigorous  season  of  the  year. 

Summing  up,  we  have  seven  signs  by  which  to 
distinguish  a  buck's  trail  from  that  of  a  doe,  of 
which  the  first  in  the  following  list  is  a  feature 
of  the  white-tailed  deer  solely,  and  of  which  the 
three  last  named  cannot  be  regarded  as  always 
absolutely  certain: 

1.  Watching  from  cover; 

2.  Drag; 

3.  Blazing  of  trees; 

30 


THE  WHITE-TAILED  OR  VIRGINIA  DEER 


4.  Pawing  of  ground; 

5.  Distance  of  tracks  from  center  line; 

6.  The  pointing  outward  of  toes; 

7.  The  lagging  back  with  the  hind  legs. 


31 


THE    FAN-TAILED    DEER 

THE  existence  of  the  fan-tailed  deer,  or 
gazelle-deer,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is 
denied  by  some  who  know  no  better,  but 
it  is  generally  recognized  by  "  old  timers  "  and 
men  who  hunt  it  in  its  present  restricted  habitat. 
That  its  range  was  formerly  more  extensive  than 
now,  and  that  even  now  it  still  exists  in  widely 
separated  districts,  the  writer  infers  from  a  let- 
ter of  Justice  Douglas,  late  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  New  York,  whose  guide  apparently 
shot  one  in  Michigan,  and  from  an  article  in  a 
sportsman's  periodical  by  Mr.  Ernest  McGaffey, 
who  found  it  in  the  Black  Hills.  The  writer 
found  relics  of  them  in  the  Bad  Lands  of  Mon- 
tana and  live  specimens  in  the  Snowy  Moun- 
tains of  the  same  State.  It  is  evidently  a  smaller 
variety  of  the  common  Virginia  deer,  with  a 
markedly  longer  tail;  however,  as  its  track  shows 
some  decided  differences,  by  which  it  can  readily 

32 


THE    FAN -TAILED    DEER 


I 


:/ 


FAN-TAILED  BUCK  DEER.    (ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

(1)  Front  track.      (2)  Hind  track.      (3)  Walk.      (4)  Trot.      (5)  Gallop. 
(A)  Dust  heap.     (B)  Hillock. 

be    distinguished,   it   is    considered    advisable   to 
treat  it  separately. 

To  begin  with,  the  heels  of  the  hoof  are  as 
broad  as  those  of  the  Virginia  deer,  yet  the  hoof 
is  considerably  shorter,  and  consequently  the  track 
also,  a  feature  which  is,  however,  of  value  only 
on  good  tracking  ground. 

33 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


The  buck  of  this  deer,  whose  tracks  always 
register,  walks  with  hoofs  pressed  close  together, 
puts  the  heels  firmly  on  the  ground,  wrhich  action 
moves  the  ground  or  snow  toward  the  front,  and 
steps  off  by  making  a  deep  imprint  writh  the 
toes.  The  result  is  a  small  hillock  in  the  middle 
of  the  track  and,  as  this  deer  never  drags  its  feet, 
a  small  dust  heap  in  front  of  it.  In  snow  or 
mud,  of  course,  the  latter  sign  cannot  be  found. 

As  this  deer  is  much  smaller  than  the  ordinary 
white-tail,  its  steps  are  consequently  shorter,  and 
in  loose  snow,  where  no  individual  track  is  visi- 
ble, its  trail  may  be  mistaken  for  that  of  a  fawn, 
and  only  by  following  it  a  distance  can  an  error 
be  avoided. 

Once  a  friend  and  I  on  our  way  home  struck 
a  trail,  and  while  walking  alongside  it  we  both 
expressed  our  opinion  that  the  deer  which  made 
it  was  the  smallest  fawn  in  that  territory.  We 
never  would  have  given  that  trail  any  considera- 
tion had  it  not  run  along  our  path.  As  it  was, 
we  followed  it,  and  after  we  had  gone  a  hun- 
dred yards  or  so,  my  indifference  changed  to 
intense  interest ;  for  it  could  be  seen  that  the  deer 

34 


THE    FAN-TAILED    DEER 


had  taken  observations  from  nearly  every  shield- 
ing object  it  had  passed.  This  caused  me  to 
express  the  belief  that  this  deer  was  a  very  old 
fan-tailed  buck,  and  events  proved  I  was  not  mis- 
taken. He  had  lost  all  his  front  teeth  but  two, 
which  were  badly  used  up,  had  four  points  on 
each  antler,  and  weighed  less  than  fifty  pounds 
after  his  entrails  were  removed.  As  his  conduct 
the  day  he  was  hunted  down  disclosed  some  fea- 
tures often  experienced  in  the  pursuit  of  deer, 
it  is  not  out  of  place  to  relate  it. 

He  was  located  in  a  thicket,  and  jumped  with 
the  assistance  of  the  wind,  a  method  which  will 
be  referred  to  later.  We  saw  him  but  did  not 
fire,  as  our  chance  opportunity  was  lost  while  we 
were  looking  for  the  horns  so  as  to  be  sure  not 
to  kill  a  doe.  His  trail  led  to  a  creek  two  miles 
distant,  and  there  disappeared.  I  knew  that  he 
had  gone  along  in  the  creek,  for  wounded  deer 
had  often  tricked  me  in  that  manner,  but  that  a 
well  deer  should  resort  to  that  method  to  throw 
me  off  the  track,  after  being  so  slightly  molested, 
was  rather  astonishing.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  up- 
stream I  found  where  he  had  left  the  water,  and 

35 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


I  followed  the  trail,  having  resolved  that  I  would 
kill  that  buck  in  one  way  or  another.  The  trail 
led  me  two  miles  farther,  and  then  it  stopped. 
The  snow  was  like  sand,  and  prevented  the  indi- 
vidual tracks  from  being  seen  plainly.  The  buck 
had  back-tracked,  and  I  had  overrun  the  spot 
from  which  he  made  the  side- jump.  Back  I 
went,  and  after  going  three  hundred  yards  I 
found  his  artful  side- jump,  and  the  trail  led  into 
a  thick  clump  of  pines.  Again  I  sent  the  wind 
in  as  a  driver,  and  that  time  got  a  shot ;  but  I  did 
not  down  my  quarry.  The  trail  showed  the  buck 
was  shot  through  the  brisket  and  shoulder  (low). 
Then  I  sat  down,  ate  my  lunch,  and  smoked  my 
pipe.  After  that  the  trail  led  me  again  to  the 
creek.  I  crossed  to  the  other  side  and,  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  creek,  followed  its  course 
over  half  a  mile,  knowing  that  the  buck  would 
not  leave  the  water  on  the  side  he  entered  it  to  lie 
down.  Finally  the  creek  led  past  a  fir  tree  with 
low-hanging  branches,  and  as  the  trail  had  not 
been  seen  thus  far,  I  was  moderately  sure  that 
the  buck  had  not  passed  that  cover — and  it  proved 
that  he  had  not.  During  snowless  times  if  a  deer 

36 


H. 


H.}  JL 


(& 

<* 


•»   / 

•( 


•  • 


H. 


H 


r  (W  ( 

\  -  -  /;.[ 

^—         i 


DEER  TRACKS 

(I)  Canter.  (2)  Goinf;  at  a  lively  rate,  in  bounds  up  to  twenty-four 
feet;  lung-shot  deer  often  run  this  way.  (3)  Top  speed,  bounds  up 
to  twenty-eight  feet — indicates  heart-shot  if  the  animal  is  wounded. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


has  been  wounded  and  gets  away,  hunting  a  day 
or  two  after  along  streams  in  the  district  will 
often  bring  to  bay  the  wounded  animal.  If  it 
has  the  strength,  it  will  hunt  up  water  to  cool 
the  wound,  and  then  crawl  into  the  densest  cover 
that  is  near.  I  have  found  many  deer  in  this 
way,  dead  and  alive — and  still  more  skeletons  to 
which  the  tracks  of  "  varmints  "  led  me  in  the 
later  season. 

The  signs  of  the  fan-tailed  buck  are : 

1.  Watching  from  cover; 

2.  Hillock  in  track ; 

3.  Dust  heap  in  front  of  track; 

4.  Blazing  of  trees; 

5.  Pawing  of  ground. 


38 


THE    MULE-DEER 

THE  track  of  the  black-tailed  or  mule-deer, 
while  it  shows  no  appreciable  differences 
from  that  of  the  Virginia  (in  white-tail 
country),  undergoes — even  in  the  mountains 
and  breaks,  its  proper  habitat — changes  interest- 
ing not  only  to  the  student  but  to  the  hunter. 

The  three  pictures  of  the  hind  foot  of  the  same 
four-year-old  mule-deer  buck  show  what  inter- 
mediate variations  occur  in  the  track  of  this  ani- 
mal. The  photograph  was  taken  when  the  buck 
was  killed,  and  the  drawings  made  in  the  rainy 
month  of  June,  and  at  the  time  of  the  deer's 
death  in  October,  respectively.  That  particular 
buck  had  its  preferred  stand  on  a  lofty  ridge, 
too  high  an  altitude  for  white-tailed  deer  to  make 
their  permanent  abode,  though  they  frequent  it 
as  transient  visitors. 

The  mule-deer  always  puts  its  foot  down 
firmly  from  above,  while  the  motion  of  the  Vir- 
ginia deer  might  be  called  rather  one  of  sliding; 

39 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


and  because  of  this  the  hoofs  spread  sideways 
without  lengthening  the  tracks.  This  gives  the 
track  of  the  latter  a  somewhat  round  appearance 
as  long  as  there  is  moisture  in  the  ground,  or  if 
it  is  covered  by  snow  that  is  not  too  dry.  This 
form  of  the  track  is  usually  found  during  the 
winter  and  early  summer.  Of  course,  when  the 
rim  becomes  prominent  enough  to  prevent  spread- 
ing, as  is  the  case  during  prolonged  dry  weather 
or  in  the  arid  regions,  a  big  mule-deer  will  make 
a  rather  small  track,  and  in  many  instances  the 
sole  of  the  hoof  does  not  show  at  all  in  the 
mark.  The  track  has  very  much  the  appearance 
of  that  made  by  a  domestic  sheep,  yet  it  is  differ- 
ent from  it  because  in  the  sheep's  track  the  heels 
and  soles  always  show,  and  the  hoofs  are  spread 
to  an  extent  not  found  in  deer.  Besides,  the 
halves  of  the  hoof  of  a  mule-deer  are  as  a  rule 
almost  exactly  alike,  whereas  with  the  sheep  that 
is  but  seldom  the  case. 

The  buck  of  the  mule-deer  evidently  has  not 
sense  enough  to  spend,  for  safety's  sake,  some  of 
his  time  in  watching  from  cover,  and  because  of 
this  his  trail  leads  along  without  stopping,  except 

40 


THE    MULE-DEER 


* 

I 


I 


*')• 
".I- 


*         A 


.1 


F 


MUl^-DEER 


(1)  Track  of  buck,  sketched  during  June  (flat; 
about  half  natural  size).  (2)  Track  of  same 
buck  in  October  (see  photograph  of  foot). 
(3)  Domestic  sheep  (flat).  (4)  Trail  of  buck; 
drag  during  rutting  season  from  one  step  to 
the  next.  (5)  Trail  of  doe.  (6)  Gallop. 


where  he  did  so  to  feed.  Moreover,  he  does  not 
vent  his  anger  at  a  rival  by  pawing  the  ground 
as  the  white-tail  buck  does.  As  the  rutting  sea- 
son of  mule-deer  is  later  in  the  year,  the  drag 
in  the  buck's  trail  is  a  most  prominent  feature, 

41 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


when  in  the  case  of  the  Virginia  deer  it  has  ceased 
to  connect  the  individual  tracks. 

In  determining  whether  one  stands  before  the 
trail  of  a  mule-deer  or  some  other  kind,  the  local- 
ity where  the  track  is  found  has  to  be  considered, 
which  often  solves  the  question.  Their  natural 
habitat  is  usually  higher  mountains,  and  even  the 
treeless  breaks  where  no  white-tailed  deer  are  to 
be  found.  The  possibility  of  confounding  a  big 
mule-deer  track  with  a  small  elk  track  is  not 
remote;  however,  if  one  observes  closely,  mistakes 
will  not  occur  often,  as  the  young  elk  places  his 
feet  nearer  the  center  line  under  the  body  than 
an  old  mule-deer  buck,  and  never  makes  any 
drag.  Then  again  a  full-grown  elk  always 
makes  a  track  at  least  twice  the  size  of  that  of 
the  mule-deer. 

The  signs  of  the  mule-deer  buck  are: 

1.  Drag; 

2.  Blazing  of  trees; 

3.  Distance  of  tracks  from  center  line; 

4.  Pointing  outward  of  toes. 


THE   WAPITI    OR   ELK 

IN  the  pursuit  of  Cervus  canadensis  the  aim  of 
the  tracker  is  to  distinguish  the  signs  of  the 
bull  from  those  of  the  cow.     As  the  number 
to  be  killed  per  season  by  each  hunter  is  limited 
by  law  to  one  or  two  bulls,  the  pursuer  is  nat- 
urally interested  in  knowing  how  to  tell  the  signs 
of  the  old  ones. 
They  are: 

1.  Size  of  track; 

2.  Distance  of  track  from  center  line; 

3.  Pointing  outward  of  hoofs; 

4.  Hillock  in  track; 

5.  Lagging  back  with  hind  legs; 

6.  Closeness  of  track; 

7.  Roundness  of  toes; 

8.  Blazing  of  trees; 

9.  Pawing  of  ground; 

10.  Size  and  roundness  of  dew-claws. 
43 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


3. 


ELK.     (ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

(li,  Bull  track.    (A)  Closeness  of  track.    (B)  Hillock.    (2)  Cow  track,  flat 
(notespread).     (3)  Trail  of  bull.     (4)  Trail  of  cow.     (5)  Trail  of  calf. 

A  male  yearling  has  a  bigger  hoof,  and  conse- 
quently makes  a  larger  track,  than  a  female  of 

44 


f 

( 


7 

Hi 


ELK 

(6)  Gallop.     (7)  Trot. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


the  same  age,  and  as  the  track  of  a  three-year-old 
bull  is  the  size  of  that  of  a  large  cow,  it  is  obvi- 
ous that  even  the  track  of  the  largest  sterile 
specimen  of  the  hornless  sex  cannot  approach  in 
size  that  made  by  an  old  bull.  As  the  general 
size  of  the  elk  differs  in  their  various  districts, 
this  fact  has  to  be  considered ;  an  elk  in  the  Coast 
country,  for  example,  is  much  inferior  in  weight 
to  an  elk  of  the  same  age  in  the  Rockies.  For 
this  reason  it  is  necessary  to  know  the  general  size 
of  the  elks  in  the  territory  in  which  the  tracking 
is  done  to  estimate  with  approximate  correctness 
the  number  of  points  on  their  horns  from  the  size 
of  the  track. 

The  bigger  the  bull,  the  farther,  of  course, 
stand  the  tracks  away  from  the  center  line. 
What  has  been  said  about  this,  and  about  the 
pointing  outward  of  toes  in  the  chapter  on  Vir- 
ginia deer,  applies  also  to  the  elk,  with  the  differ- 
ence, however,  that  in  the  latter  it  is  always  a 
sure  sign  of  the  bull,  as  is  also  the  lagging  back 
with  the  hind  feet. 

Like  the  fan-tail  buck,  the  elk  bull,  in  his  man- 
ner of  walking,  makes  a  hill  in  his  track,  but  there 

46 


is  no  dust  heap  in  front  of  the  latter's,  as  the  elk 
apparently  does  not  step  off  so  clean. 

The  bull  elk  always  manages  to  walk  with 
tightly  closed  hoofs,  at  variance  with  the  cow, 
which  lets  the  hoofs  spread  more. 

By  reason  of  his  weight  and  his  habit  of  paw- 
ing the  ground,  the  points  of  the  hoofs  or  toes 
of  an  old  bull  become  rather  blunt,  causing  a  much 
rounder  track  than  a  cow  makes;  and  in  a  big 
track,  like  that  of  an  elk,  such  features  show  up 
conspicuously,  while  it  would  be  a  hard  matter 
to  detect  them  in  a  much  smaller  deer  track,  even 
on  the  best  tracking  ground. 

The  dew-claws,  being  much  thicker  and  blunter 
in  the  bull  than  in  the  cow,  are  a  certain  dis- 
tinctive feature,  but  their  imprint  can  be  seen 
only  in  mud  or  snow,  and  there  the  other  more 
prominent  signs  of  the  bull  track  are,  as  a  rule, 
visible  also  and  will  be  found  more  reliable. 

The  young  bull  often  oversteps  the  forefoot 
track  with  the  hind  foot;  therefore  in  case  the 
tracks  do  not  register  it  is  necessary  to  examine 
the  two  individual  tracks  of  one  side.  If  the  big- 
ger track  is  in  front,  an  old  bull  made  it,  and  if 

47 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


the  reverse  is  the  case,  the  animal  is  not  worth 
following,  because  it  is  a  young  one. 

Like  all  members  of  the  deer  tribes,  the  elk 
bull  cleanses  his  horns  of  the  velvet  on  trees,  and, 
in  addition  to  pawing  the  ground  with  the  hoofs, 
he  often  belabors  it  with  his  horns  in  his  anger 
with  a  rival. 

Some  consider  the  distance  between  the  indi- 
vidual tracks  in  the  attempt  to  determine  the  size 
and  other  points  of  the  elk,  and  if  the  animal  has 
been  seen,  this  is  well,  but  if  there  is  only  the 
trail  to  decide  by,  it  appears  to  be  a  far-fetched 
"  sign,"  because  the  foundation,  a  knowledge 
of  the  speed,  is  lacking. 


48 


THE    MOOSE 

THE  favorite  rendezvous,  in  summer  or  win- 
ter range,  of  any  other  member  of  the  deer 
tribes  may  be  ascertained  by  the  observant 
trailer,  and  the  animal  found  within  a  given  area 
with  moderate  certainty,  but  not  so  our  most 
gigantic  game,  the  moose;  he  is  far  too  much 
of  a  traveler.  True,  he  too  has  his  range,  but 
its  limits  are  so  extended  that  he  may  return  to 
the  same  place  but  once  within  a  month  or  two. 
Here  to-day  and  elsewhere  to-morrow  seems  to 
be  his  rule. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  the  moose's  habits,  the  tracker 
may  bag  him  in  any  given  locality  by  ascertain- 
ing in  what  umbrageous  thicket  or  on  what 
wooded  hillside  the  moose  prefers  to  stay  during 
his  visits,  that  is,  if  the  hunter  does  not  wish  to 
run  him  down  by  sheer  endurance,  which  would 
take  him  over  deep,  crusted  snow,  cost  about  a 
week's  hard  work,  and  furnish  poor  sport. 

49 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


On  account  of  its  extra-ordinary  size,  it  is  out 
of  the  question  that  the  track  of  a  bull  moose 
should  be  mistaken  for  that  of  another  deer; 
rather  it  might  be  taken  for  that  of  a  big  ox, 
except  the  track  of  the  latter  is  always  rounder 
and  the  entire  hoof-form  different.  Where  any 
doubt  exists,  a  close  examination  will  invariably 
dispel  it.  In  forming  a  conclusion  about  a  moose 
track  the  chief  aim  is  always  to  decide  if  it  was 
made  by  a  bull  or  cow.  The  hoof  of  the  bull  is 
bulkier  than  that  of  the  cow,  and  should  therefore 
produce  a  rounder  track.  The  immense  weight 
of  the  animal  tends  to  obliterate  such  minor  dis- 
tinctive features  in  most  cases  where  the  ground 
is  not  very  hard. 

The  dew-claws  on  the  bull  are  always  farther 
apart  than  on  the  cow,  and  as  they  are  much 
blunter  they  make  a  good  mark  to  consider. 

The  individual  tracks  of  the  bull  are  farther 
off  from  the  center  line  than  in  the  case  of  the 
cow;  but  as  the  stride  is  long,  this  feature  is  not 
apparent  to  any  appreciable  extent. 

The  length  of  the  steps,  if  it  is  possible  to 
estimate  the  gait  he  was  traveling  from  his- other 

50 


MOOSE 
BULL  TRACK 


(About  one-half  natural  size) 


TRACKS    AXD    TRACKING 


L.H. 


L..F. 


R.H. 


R.F. 


R.H. 


R.F. 


MOOSE  TRACKS 

(1)  Trail  of  bull.     (2)  Trail  of  cow.     (3)  Trot.     (4)  Gallop. 

actions  ( feeding,  etc. ) ,  is  one  of  the  best  signs 
of  the  bull,  since  he  makes  markedly  longer 
strides  than  the  cow  of  equal  size. 

52 


THE    MOOSE 


From  all  the  foregoing  it  is  obvious  that  it  is 
a  rather  doubtful  possibility  for  the  beginner  to 
tell  the  track  of  a  bull  from  that  of  a  cow,  but 
actual  observations  in  the  woods  will  impart  to 
him  the  ability  to  distinguish  between  them  with 
a  considerable  degree  of  accuracy.  Until  he  so 
learns  he  should  follow  every  likely  looking  track 
until  it  enters  a  thicket,  and  if  he  is  following  a 
bull  with  a  halfway  good  set  of  horns  he  will 
notice  overhead  broken  twigs  and  bent  branches, 
or  perhaps  he  will  find  along  the  trail  blazed 
trees,  broken  bushes,  or  the  ground  torn  with 
hoofs  or  horns,  and  may  know  by  these  also  that 
a  bull  made  the  signs. 

Unlike  any  other  deer  previously  discussed, 
the  moose,  when  trotting,  oversteps  the  forefeet 
tracks  with  the  hind  feet  to  a  considerable  extent. 
( See  sketch  of  trail.) 

As  signs  of  the  bull  moose  we  may  consider : 

1.  Roundness  of  hoof; 

2.  Distance   between   and   bluntness   of   dew- 
claws  ; 

3.  Distance  of  tracks  from  center  line; 

53 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


4.  Length  of  steps ; 

5.  Breaking  of  twigs  with  horns    (overhead 
along  trail)  ; 

6.  Blazing  of  trees; 

7.  Pawing  of  ground. 


THE    MOUNTAIN    SHEEP 

Where  first  the  early  sunbeams  glow 

On  rugged  cliffs,  through  morning  shrouds, 

Where  icy  winds  in  summer  blow 

On  crests  among  the  thunder  clouds, 

Way  up  on  mountains  high  and  steep, 

There  lives  and  roams  the  bighorn  sheep. 

THE  king  of  sports,  undoubtedly,  is  the 
pursuit  of  the  bighorn,  but  on  account  of 
the  habitat  of  this  game,  under  normal 
conditions,  it  is  restricted  to  comparatively  few 
hunters,  since  perfect  physical  condition  and  un- 
swerving perseverance  are  required  to  endure 
the  hardships  which  present  themselves  in  moun- 
tain climbing  and  "  camping  out  of  camp,"  and 
to  bear  cheerfully  the  many  discouraging  experi- 
ences which  are  commonly  the  lot  of  the  sports- 
man who  desires  to  secure  the  finest  trophy  to  be 
taken  in  our  country. 

No  other  reminder  of  the  chase  will  bring  back 
to  memory  so  many  pleasant  recollections  as  the 

55 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


head  and  horns  of  an  old  mountain  ram  after 
time  has  obliterated  the  memory  of  the  hardships 
endured,  and  has  woven  around  the  trophy  a  halo 
through  which  the  mind's  eye  sees  again  sublime 
views  from  lofty  mountain  peaks,  roseate  dawns 
and  glowing  sunsets,  which  bathed  cliffs  and 
crests  and  crags  in  a  flood  of  molten  gold. 
Again  the  hunter  feels  the  thrill  of  care-free 
independence  of  the  trifling  world  below,  and 
experiences  boundless  elation  as  the  crack  of  the 
rifle,  sounding  and  resounding  from  a  thousand 
crags,  proclaims  to  the  Alpine  world  the  tri- 
umphant end  of  the  chase. 

The  tracking  of  this  game  consists  chiefly  in 
locating  it  by  the  signs  left  on  high  meadows,  or 
near  springs  or  salt-licks.  Except  for  the  larger 
spoor  of  the  ram,  there  is  no  difference  in  the 
track  or  trail  of  either  sex. 

Generally  on  meadows  or  near  springs,  where 
the  big  tracks  of  a  single  animal,  or  at  most  a 
couple  of  them,  are  frequently  found,  and  where 
the  tracks  of  lambs  are  conspicuous  by  their 
absence,  one  may  expect,  with  moderate  certainty, 
to  see  game  worthy  of  a  shot,  as  rams  prefer  to 

56 


THE    MOUNTAIN    SHEEP 


f  •» 

ir  « 


ft    n 


\\ 


MOUNTAIN  SHEEP.     (ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 
(1)  Front  track.     (2)  Hind   track.     (3)  Trail.     (4)  Leaps. 

range  alone,  except  at  rutting  time  and  during 
the  winter. 

If  there  is  no  snow,  one  may  learn  to  know  the 
track  of  every  individual  sheep  which  frequents 
the  range,  and  if  he  spends  much  time  there  he 
will  see  an  animal  at  too  great  a  distance  to  be 

57 


TRACKS    AXD    TRACKING 


shot  at,  but  if  he  has  any  memory  at  all,  he  will 
recognize  its  track  if  he  finds  it  anywhere  in  that 
region.  This,  of  course,  does  not  refer  to  moun- 
tain sheep  below  the  average,  which,  I  assume, 
are  of  little  interest  to  the  sportsman  who  takes 
the  trouble  to  hunt  for  a  trophy;  nor  does  the 
meat  hunter  go  up  into  these  regions  for  the  pot, 
as  he  will  get  something  easier  lower  down. 

If  the  feeding  ground  or  watering  place  of  an 
old  ram  is  once  known,  about  the  best  thing  to  do 
is  to  wait  for  the  quarry.  If  the  game  is  seen, 
and  it  has  not  already  observed  the  hunter,  it  usu- 
ally can  be  flagged  as  antelopes  were  in  former 
days.  The  oldest  bucks,  however,  seldom  re- 
spond to  the  summons,  and  are  seldom  lured 
within  rifle  range  by  this  method. 

Hunting  bighorn  has  much  in  common  with 
hunting  antelopes,  but  in  the  pursuit  of  the 
former  there  is  grander  scenery  and  more  physical 
exercise. 

The  tracks  of  mountain  sheep  often  show  the 
cross-step,  seldom  register,  and,  as  the  animals 
when  running  have  to  place  their  feet  where  they 
can,  the  trail  gives  no  indication  of  where  an  ani- 

58 


THE    MOUNTAIN    SHEEP 


HOG  TRACK;    WALKING.    (ABOUT  HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

To  save  the  novice  from  ridiculous  experiences  this  illustration  is  given. 
The  hog  track  is  always  spread,  very  seldom  registers,  and,  if  the 
ground  is  not  very  hard,  the  dew-claws  are  always  shown. 

mal  has  been  hit.  Infinitely  greater  vigilance  is 
required  than  in  deer  hunting  to  observe  the 
signs  at  the  moment  of  firing,  and  in  the  study 
of  hair  and  blood. 

The  hoof  of  the  bighorn  spreads  easily  and 
evenly;  therefore,  in  the  track  the  distance  be- 

59 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


tween  the  heels  is  as  great  as  between  the 
toes,  and  frequently  greater — a  fact  which  makes 
it  impossible  to  confound  it  with  that  of  any  other 
animal. 

As  stated,  there  is  but  one  sign  by  which  to  tell 
the  ram:  Size  of  the  track. 


60 


THE    ANTELOPE 

f  I  ^HE  track  of  the  antelope  looks  like  a  combi- 
JL  nation  of  a  bighorn  track,  which  it  resem- 
bles somewhat  in  length  and  prominence 
of  the  outer  rim  of  the  hoof,  and  that  of  the 
domestic  sheep,  to  which  it  bears  a  likeness  in  the 
shape  of  the  heels.  To  confound  it,  however, 
with  either  one  of  them  is  a  rather  remote  possi- 
bility, since  the  heels  are  broader  and  closer  to- 
gether than  those  of  a  mountain  sheep,  with 
which  in  the  Bad  Lands  the  antelope  is  sometimes 
found  in  the  same  range,  and  the  spread  is  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  domestic  sheep.  In  the 
case  of  the  domestic  sheep  the  greatest  spread  is 
at  the  point  of  the  toes,  while  in  the  case  of  the 
antelope,  the  hoof  being  hooked,  it  is  more  be- 
tween the  soles. 

An  antelope  buck  of  moderate  size  makes  at 
all  times  a  bigger  track  than  any  range  sheep,  the 
track  of  the  latter  always  being  rather  flat.  As 

61 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


antelopes  live  on  the  open  plains  where  they  are 
generally  hunted  by  sighting  them,  and  as  a 
sportsman  is  allowed  to  kill  but  one  in  a  season, 
we  will  therefore  consider  only  the  signs  of  the 
old  bucks. 

There  are  but  two  signs,  and  these  can  be  con- 
densed into  one,  because  they  are  usually  found 
at  the  same  spot:  Pawing  of  ground,  and  drop- 
pings. 

The  droppings  are  of  similar  size,  and  though 
more  or  less  connected,  always  comparatively 
dry,  while  from  does  and  fawns  they  are  either 
dry  and  scattered,  or,  if  moist,  in  a  lump  and 
always  irregular  in  size ;  the  cause  of  which  seem- 
ing phenomenon  is  a  certain  amount  of  glutinous 
substance  in  the  droppings  of  the  buck. 

The  pawing  is  usually  done  in  old  buffalo 
trails,  cattle  runways,  and  roads,  or  where  coal 
deposits  come  to  the  surface  making  the  ground 
barren  of  vegetation;  where  this  sign  is  found, 
an  old  buck  is  always  near,  even  if  the  locality 
cannot  properly  be  considered  antelope  country. 
Old  bucks,  before  and  after  rutting  season,  fre- 
quently make  their  habitat  in  roomy  forests  or 

62 


HIND  FOOT  OF  ANTELOPE.     (LIFE  SIZE) 


TRACKS    AXD    T 'HACKING 


0 


4) 


ANTELOPE.     (ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 


U 


(1)  Track  of  antelope.  (2)  Domestic  sheep  (flat),  note  spread.  (3) 
Trail  of  antelope.  (4)  Gallop  (no  dew-claws;  the  antelope  has 
none). 

in  the  breaks  of  the  Bad  Lands,  sometimes  sev- 
eral miles  distant  from  the  grounds  where  the 
herds  roam. 

The  rutting  season  begins  about  the  middle  of 
64 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  ANTELOPE  (BUCK) 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


August.  The  old  bucks  are  first  in  selecting 
their  does,  but  they  have  to  leave  their  respective 
adherents  on  account  of  the  stronger  young  bucks, 
which  fight  off  their  old  and  emaciated  rivals. 
During  the  rutting  season  all  bucks  have  such  an 
emphatically  disagreeable  odor  that  it  is  abso- 
lutely impossible  to  eat  the  meat;  afterward  they 
are  but  skin  and  bones,,  and  before  they  can  pick 
up  again  and  are  fit  for  food,  they  shed  their 
horns.  The  sportsman,  in  consequence  of  the 
law,  which  opens  the  shooting  season  for  antelope 
September  1st,  is  put  to  two  disagreeable  alter- 
natives: either  to  shoot  a  buck  and  let  the  meat 
rot,  saving  horns  and  skin  as  a  trophy  of  the 
sport  (?),  or  to  kill  a  doe  or  fawn,  to  feast  on 
excellent  venison,  and  incidentally  hasten  the 
extermination  of  the  most  beautiful  creature  of 
the  plains. 

Sport  with  antelope  bucks  in  the  full  sense  of 
the  word,  can  be  had  only  during  the  summer 
months ;  then  they  tax  the  hunter's  skill,  and  their 
meat  is  fit  for  the  table  of  an  epicure. 

When  their  natural  range  is  absorbed  by  pri- 
vate preserves,  or  when  human  progress  is  ad- 

66 


THE    ANTELOPE 


vanced  so  far  that  it  demands  even  of  politicians 
the  exercise  of  some  common  sense,  then,  no 
doubt,  laws  will  be  passed  befitting  the  game. 
Until  then,  the  sportsman,  to  keep  his  shield  of 
honor  bright,  must  abstain  from  the  killing  of 
antelope;  else,  ridiculous  and  inconsistent  as  it 
may  seem,  if  he  decides  he  must  have  a  trophy 
of  this  kind,  in  any  event,  he  must  disregard  the 
statutory  laws. 

Flagging  old  bucks  seems  to  me  an  inexcusable 
waste  of  time;  those  which  I  have  tried  to  flag 
have  invariably  heeded  the  signal,  and  left  imme- 
diately for  distant  ranges,  apparently  having 
profited  from  previous  experiences. 

The  distress  cry  of  a  jack-rabbit,  however, 
invariably  causes  antelope  to  investigate.  Often 
when  I  have  been  calling  for  wolves  and  coyotes, 
antelopes  have  appeared  seemingly  from  nowhere 
and  approached  so  close  that  they  could  easily 
have  been  killed  with  a  shotgun.  If  there  is  a 
herd  of  cattle  in  the  known  range  of  an  old  buck 
it  is  almost  a  sure  thing  that  he  will  associate  with 
them  during  the  late  afternoon.  In  timbered 
country  bucks  will  be  found  frequenting  com- 

67 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


paratively  small  parks  where  it  is  easy  to  stalk 
them. 

The  antelope  has  the  widest  range  of  vision  of 
all  our  game,  but  like  the  others  it  is  unable  to 
distinguish  objects  when  looking  toward  the  sun, 
a  fact  which  at  times  has  its  advantages  when 
hunting  the  antelope  or  bighorn  sheep. 

The  wound-signs  are  the  same  as  in  deer;  but 
as  antelope  are  usually  shot  at  in  open  country, 
they  can  generally  be  seen  until  they  drop  dead 
or  lie  down.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  more  merci- 
ful to  let  them  die  without  disturbing  them,  un- 
less it  is  possible  from  the  lay  of  the  country 
to  stalk  them  so  that  their  misery  may  be  ended 
by  a  second  well-aimed  shot. 

By  reason  of  the  hoof -form,  the  very  promi- 
nent hillock  in  the  antelope  track  is  of  no  value 
in  ascertaining  the  sex,  and  neither  is  the  irregu- 
lar stepping  in  the  trail. 


68 


S   C3 

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03  >M 

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PREDACEOUS    ANIMALS 


THE    BEAR 

HUNTING  bears  with  the  assistance  of 
guides  supplied  with  a  well-trained  pack 
of  hounds  may  be  satisfactory,  if  merely 
the  killing  of  them  is  desired,  but  it  certainly  is 
not  sport,  and  does  not  even  deserve  to  be  ranked 
with  trapping  bears,  as  in  the  latter  case  the 
hunter  must  possess  at  least  some  knowledge  of 
the  quarry's  habitat  and  habits:  Unlike  a  fox, 
a  bear  when  once  found  by  the  hounds  stands  no 
chance  of  escaping,  and  there  would  be  just  as 
much  sport  in  shooting  the  animal  in  a  park  or 
pen  as  in  killing  a  run-to-bay  bear.  This  ap- 
plies also  with  truth  to  mountain  lions,  although 
perhaps  there  is  in  the  case  of  the  cougar  the 
excuse  of  the  animal's  destructiveness. 

The  employment  of  dogs  in  the  chase  would 
never  exterminate  or  even  appreciably  lessen  the 
number  of  deer  in  any  hunting  country  where 
lakes  are  not  abundant,  but  everywhere  it  surely 

73 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


means  the  downfall  and  extinction  of  that  relic 
of  gray  ages,  the  bear. 

Where  not  plentiful — and  the  places  where 
they  are  found  in  number  are  to-day  quite  few 
and  remote  from  civilization — bears  are,  on  the 
whole,  harmless,  and  decidedly  more  useful  than 
injurious.  The  damage  they  do  is  almost  nil, 
while  they  serve  man  in  many  ways.  The  meat 
of  young  bears  is  equal  to  the  best  venison ;  their 
fat  is  decidedly  superior  to  the  "  fancy  "  lard  we 
buy,  of  the  source  and  handling  of  which  we  are 
ignorant;  and  the  hides  give  excellent  service  as 
robes,  rugs  and  clothing.  In  my  opinion  bears 
should  be  protected  to  a  certain  extent  rather  than 
shot  down  merely  to  make  a  record. 

Sport  should  be  conducted  in  a  spirit  of  fair- 
ness to  the  game,  and  while  a  couple  of  dogs  is 
perhaps  permissible  in  bear  hunting,  still-hunting 
is  the  better  sport,  because  it  requires  the  utmost 
skill  and  knowledge  of  woodcraft  on  account  of 
the  quarry's  sagacity  and  cunning,  which  is 
superior  to  that  of  any  other  of  our  wild  animals. 
Even  if  one  is  able  to  read  the  habits  of  the 
bear  clearly  from  its  trail,  it  is  necessary  to  pos- 

74 


BEAU  FEET— RIGHT  SIDE  (ONE-QUARTER  NATURAL  SIZE) 


THE    BEAR 


sess  an  abundant  supply  of  patience,  for,  barring 
lucky  accidents,  no  one  can  reasonably  hope  to 
outwit  Bruin  at  the  first  attempt. 

The  end  of  their  hibernation  depends  largely 
on  the  weather,  but  about  March  or  April  bears 
frequent  snowless  slopes  and  gulches  in  search  of 
roots,  bulbs,  and  similar  food,  and  it  is  there  one 
must  look  for  signs  at  that  time.  If  a  cold 
spell  interrupts  the  spring  weather,  as  is  often 
the  case,  a  trail,  sometimes  a  week  old,  will  often 
lead  the  hunter  to  a  near-by  thicket  where  Bruin 
has  made  himself  a  bed  on  the  ground,  with  the 
intention  of  sleeping  until  another  thaw.  He 
usually  changes  his  bed  every  two  or  three  days, 
but  ordinarily  will  not  leave  the  thicket  unless  he 
is  disturbed.  If  a  bear  is  found  to  be  in  such  a 
thicket,  the  hunter  should  curb  his  impatience  and 
suspend  following  up  the  trail  until  the  snow  gets 
soft,  when  he  can  work  carefully  against  the 
wind  toward  his  quarry.  However,  as  it  is  usu- 
ally impossible  to  see  farther  than  ten  or  twenty 
feet  ahead,  Bruin  has,  in  this  kind  of  hunting, 
much  the  best  of  the  hunter,  and  the  latter  finds 
in  most  cases  an  empty  bed. 

76 


BEAR  TRAIL.   (STEPS  ABOUT  TWO  FEET  APART) 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


If  the  thicket  is  not  too  large  the  wind-hunting 
method  before  described  will,  no  doubt,  often 
give  satisfaction ;  but  as  a  rule  the  thickets  which 
the  bears  make  their  spring  habitat  are  of  too 
great  an  extent.  The  surest  and  easiest  way  to 
get  him  is  to  persuade  some  other  fellow  to  follow 
the  trail  while  you  intercept  and  shoot  the  bear 
when  he  leaves  the  thicket.  Knowledge  of 
Bruin's  cunning  then  furnishes  the  means  to 
decide  where  he  will  pass,  since,  as  a  rule,  he  will 
sneak  off  under  the  densest  cover  and  try  to  reach 
another  thicket  under  shelter  of  bushes,  rocks  and 
the  like.  Anyone,  not  altogether  a  tyro  in  the 
woods,  can  easily  decide  from  the  lay  of  the 
country  where  to  wait  for  His  Bear  ship.  When 
the  place  is  selected,  one  should  be  sure  that  there 
is  an  absolutely  clear  opening  at  least  a  couple 
of  feet  wide.  A  bear  is  bulky  and  clumsy-look- 
ing enough,  but  he  is  able  to  pass  without  offer- 
ing a  chance  for  a  shot  at  places  where  another 
animal  could  hardly  escape  an  average  hunter's 
lead.  I  am  by  no  means  slow  with  my  trigger 
finger,  but  before  I  learned  to  appreciate  this 
fact  I  was  chagrined  on  several  occasions  by  hav- 

78 


TRACKS  OF  BEAR,  RUNNING 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


ing  bears  pass  me  unharmed  at  a  less  distance 
than  fifty  yards,  and  that  too  at  places  where  I 
thought  I  could  kill  a  running  rabbit  if  I  wished 
to  do  so. 

If  a  bear  succeeds  in  leaving  a  thicket  without 
giving  opportunity  for  a  shot,  there  is  no  need 
for  disappointment — he  will  pass  the  same  spot 
when  he  happens  to  be  in  the  same  thicket  again, 
and  this  is  a  certainty  if  he  does  not  abandon  that 
part  of  the  country.  This  statement  has  met 
with  some  disbelief  among  a  few  of  my  personal 
acquaintances,  and  to  prove  my  claims  I  had  to 
shoot  a  bear  within  a  month  from  a  given  point. 
I  killed  Bruin,  or  rather  Old  Eph,  as  it  was  a 
grizzly,  less  than  ten  feet  from  where  I  said  I 
would,  and  that  settled  the  matter. 

A  mile  and  a  half  from  my  home  there  is  such 
a  thicket  not  over  one  acre  in  extent,  and  if  fresh 
bear  signs  are  seen  anywhere  in  the  surrounding 
woods,  which  cover  several  thousand  acres  and 
contain  many  larger  and  just  as  dense  thickets, 
I  wait  there,  reasonably  sure  that  I  will  see  Bruin 
soon  after  sunrise  or  at  sunset.  Experience  has 
proved  to  me  that  it  is  a  waste  of  time  to  watch 

80 


BEAU  TRACK.     (HIND  FOOT;  TWO-THIRDS  NATURAL  SIZE) 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


for  bears  where  signs  are  most  numerous.  They 
invariably  leave  their  home  thicket  very  quietly 
before  dark,  and  start  their  noisy  feeding,  chew- 
ing up  logs,  and  breaking  down  berry  bushes, 
not  less  than  half  a  mile  from  their  abiding 
place,  near  which  no  signs  except  a  few  tracks 
are  visible. 

For  the  entertainment  of  a  visiting  friend  the 
thicket  was  driven  a  few  times  by  the  wind 
method,  which  worked  splendidly.  An  "  old 
mule,"  which  was  shot  through  the  lungs  with 
a  .30-40  rifle  on  the  previous  evening,  was  the 
only  one  that  left  the  shelter  slowly.  All  the 
others,  presumably  the  same  on  every  occasion, 
appeared  to  be  very  much  frightened,  and  ran 
for  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  after  they  had 
passed  the  danger  point 

To  locate  the  abode  of  bears  in  such  thickets 
during  the  summer  and  early  autumn,  it  is  best 
and  simplest  to  trail  them  by  the  signs  they  make 
during  their  nocturnal  rambles,  such  as  over- 
turned logs,  etc.;  and  if  only  a  few  of  such 
signs  are  found  near  dense  cover,  facing  north 
or  northwest,  the  ground  should  be  carefully  ex- 

82 


BEAR  STUMP.    (ANTS  WERE  CHEWED  OUT  SEVEN 
FEET  ABOVE  GROUND) 

amined  for  tracks.  These  are  usually  difficult 
to  see,  and  if  no  moist  places  are  near  such  cover, 
the  apparently  used  paths  that  lead  into  it,  but 
on  which  there  are  no  signs  except  an  occasional 

83 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


claw  mark,  must  serve  as  base  for  a  conclusion, 
which  must  be  verified  by  watching  at  a  good 
point  near  the  thicket  during  the  morning  or 
evening.  The  snapping  of  a  twig  or  the  break- 
ing of  a  log  on  which  Bruin  carelessly  steps  often 
confirms  the  conclusions,  though  the  bear  may 
sometimes  remain  invisible  to  the  hunter  for  sev- 
eral consecutive  visits. 

When  the  thicket  they  prefer  is  once  located, 
the  rest  is  easy.  If  quick  results  are  desired, 
driving  or,  perhaps,  calling  will  yield  results.  I 
once  shot  a  bear  which  made  its  appearance  im- 
mediately when,  by  way  of  experiment,  I  imi- 
tated the  distress  cry  of  a  jack-rabbit.  If  the 
hunter  has  plenty  of  time  to  spend  in  the  woods 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  watch  for  the  quarry.  Dur- 
ing autumn  proper,  bears  retreat  to  the  more 
remote  districts  and  the  fastnesses  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  here  they  are  usually  found  during  the  day- 
time where  they  are  accustomed  to  feed.  In 
places  where  berries  are  plentiful,  on  ridges  and 
in  gulches  where  blue  jays  and  squirrels  are  stor- 
ing their  winter  supply  of  mast,  here  will  be 
found  the  bears'  favorite  autumn  haunts.  In 

84 


BEAR  TRACK.     (FRONT  FOOT;    ABOUT  TWO-FIFTHS 
NATURAL  SIZE) 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


the  mountains  of  the  West  there  is  a  berry  bush 
called  kinni-kinic  barberry  or  bearberry — I  am 
not  sure  which  is  the  correct  term — that  is  thickly 
covered  with  fruit  about  the  size  of  buffalo  ber- 
ries, and  which  is  a  favorite  food  for  bears  before 
they  can  obtain  mast ;  or,  if  the  latter  fails,  Bruin 
seems  to  regard  the  seeds  of  the  pinon  as  a  deli- 
cacy; but  as  it  would  apparently  take  up  too 
much  of  his  time  to  fill  himself  from  those  that 
fall  to  the  ground,  he  resorts  to  easier  methods 
to  obtain  them — he  becomes  a  thief  and  incurs 
the  enmity  of  squirrels  and  jays. 

On  ridges  he  robs  the  caches  of  the  jays,  and 
in  canons  he  depletes  the  stores  of  the  squirrels, 
and,  by  no  means  approving  of  such  actions,  they 
heartily  hate  him  and  "  cuss  "  at  him  whenever 
he  approaches,  and  in  this  way  often  betray  his 
presence  to  the  hunter  who  has  learned  to  inter- 
pret the  language  of  the  wood-folk.  It  is  always 
well  to  approach  with  the  utmost  care  places 
where  there  is  a  continual  chatter  of  squirrels  and 
cries  of  blue  jays  are  heard;  and  if  the  "  cussed  " 
one  proves  to  be  some  other  marauder — well,  it 
may  be  a  bear  next  time.  When  still-hunting 

86 


THE    BEAR 


BEAR  LOG 

during  the  autumn  the  attention  paid  to  these 
small  denizens  of  the  woods  is  by  no  means  wasted, 
and  yields  better  results  than  covering  a  great 
territory,  or  watching  for  hours  on  trails  or  near 
baits,  which  latter  are  seldom  visited  by  bears 
during  rifle  light. 

Until  I  undertook  the  systematic  study  of  the 
bear's  habits  I  was  under  the  impression,  from 
what  I  had  read,  that  a  bear  track  was  easily 

87 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


recognized,  and  actually  passed  many,  regard- 
ing- them  as  cougar  tracks.  I  have  since  noticed 
that  many  hunters,  born  and  reared  in  a  bear 
country,  make  the  same  mistake.  Of  course  in 
mud  or  snow  a  bear  track  is  easily  identified,  but 
in  the  vastness  of  mountains  and  forests  snow 
and  mud  are  not  always  present ;  in  fact,  they  are 
of  little  service.  There,  the  heel  of  the  foot  is 
practically  never  seen  in  the  track  during  snow- 
less  times,  and  as  the  shape  of  the  fore  part  of 
the  foot  conforms  with  that  of  the  mountain 
lion,  a  mistake  is  easily  possible  if  the  imprints 
of  the  five  toes  of  the  bear  are  not  all  visible. 
The  trailer  in  these  districts  and  under  these  cir- 
cumstances is  generally  lucky  if  he  can  discern 
here  and  there  the  part  of  a  track  of  a  bear's 
foot.  A  couple  of  years  ago  a  party  of  old  deer 
hunters  told  me  of  the  great  number  of  lion 
tracks  they  had  seen  as  they  came  into  camp, 
and  at  my  query  if  they  saw  any  bear  tracks,  they 
answered,  "  No  " ;  yet  I  had  camped  there  over 
two  months,  knew  absolutely  that  no  lion  was  in 
those  parts,  that  bears  were  abundant,  and  that 
the  hunters  could  have  seen  only  their  tracks.  So 

88 


THE    BEAR 


BEAR  LOG 

much  for  the  information  of  those  who  have  an 
idea  that  an  animal,  weighing  from  three  hun- 
dred to  over  a  thousand  pounds,  must  necessarily 
make  a  big  trail  which  can  be  readily  followed. 

The  tracker,  if  he  will  but  stop  and  investigate 
closely,  need  not  make  a  mistake,  even  if  only 
the  imprint  of  a  single  toe  is  plainly  visible,  as 
the  long  nails  of  the  bear  almost  always  leave 
some  mark  in  front  of  the  track.  The  distance 

89 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


which  the  nails  stand  away  from  the  toe  imprints 
is  the  only  means  of  distinguishing  the  grizzly's 
track  from  that  of  the  black  bear,  except  that 
size  dispels  any  doubt.  The  nails  of  the  grizzly 
stand  out  almost  straight,  while  those  of  the  black 
bear  are  more  curvate,  and  their  imprints  must 
consequently  be  found  closer  to  the  track  of  the 
foot. 

The  likeness  of  the  bear  track  to  that  of  the 
human  foot  has  been  referred  to  by  many  writers. 
In  reality  no  likeness  exists,  and  the  inexperi- 
enced trailer  in  the  woods  'has  the  already  disad- 
vantageous conditions  under  which  he  is  working 
multiplied  so  long  as  he  is  not  disillusioned. 

If  a  bear  who  knows  nothing  of  the  hunter  is 
shot  at  and  suddenly  whirls  around,  i.  £.,  jumps 
when  the  trigger  is  pulled,  he  is  hit,  no  matter 
whether  there  is  another  sign  or  not,  and  the 
color  of  the  blood  will  indicate  to  the  hunter  where 
he  is  struck.  A  shot  through  the  lungs  with  the 
modern  high-power  rifle  will  sometimes  not  prove 
fatal  within  ten  or  twelve  hours. 

A  missed  bear  is  never  in  a  hurry  to  get  away, 
unless  he  has  seen  or  scented  the  hunter  previous 

90 


THE    BEAR 


to  the  firing,  and  in  most  cases  he  offers  a  chance 
for  a  second  or  third  shot. 

Not  a  few  city  hunters  "  pull  out  "  if  they  en- 
counter bear  signs  where  they  intend  to  spend 
their  outing,  saying  they  are  not  looking  for 
bears;  yet  the  chances  are  many  against  their 
seeing  one  even  if  they  were  anxious  for  an  en- 
counter. The  trouble  is  not  to  avoid  a  bear,  but 
to  find  him,  as  his  greatest  desire  seems  to  be  to 
keep  out  of  man's  reach,  and  he  employs  all  his 
cunning  to  that  end. 


91 


OF  all  the  predatory  animals  there  is  none 
which  in  destructiveness   equals   or  even 
approaches   the  mountain   lion;   he,    and 
he  only,  is  often  the  cause  of  unsatisfactory  hunt- 
ing trips  into  districts  where  other  big  game  by 
every  reason  ought  to  be  abundant.     A  family  of 
these  great  beasts  will,  while  the  young  ones  are 
growing  up,  deplete  a  region  of  almost  every 
other  game  animal. 

If  a  cougar  kills  a  deer  during  the  morning 
hours,  he  seems  to  spend  the  day  near  it,  as  I 
have  again  and  again  found  freshly  vacated  beds 
under  nearby  bushes  or  rocks.  On  these  occa- 
sions I  was  following  the  drag  the  "  varmint " 
had  made  with  the  carcass,  and  although  I 
kept  a  close  watch  on  the  surroundings,  the  lion 
remained  invisible ;  yet  I  know  that  he  was  watch- 
ing me,  for  in  every  instance  I  found  that  he 
visited  and  examined  the  covered  carcass  during 
the  following  night. 

92 


THE    COUGAR 


The  methods  usually  followed  to  rid  the  hunt- 
ing-ground of  its  worst  poacher  are  to  shoot  or 
trap  him.  If  the  former  is  decided  upon,  the 
fact  that  the  lion  has  an  excellent  nose  and  keen 
vision  should  not  be  forgotten  when  the  place 
to  watch  for  him  is  selected. 

Still-hunting  the  cougar  is  about  the  most 
thankless  undertaking  one  could  enter  upon,  yet 
there  are  occasions  when  a  close  observer  may  be 
able  to  kill  one  without  extra  trouble  when  out 
primarily  for  other  game.  The  main  requisite  is 
time  and  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  coun- 
try. The  cougar,  after  the  young  are  grown  up, 
does  not  remain  in  a  comparatively  small  district 
for  any  length  of  time,  but  usually  covers  a  much 
wider  territory  than  the  gray  wolf,  although  the 
latter  is  universally  known  as  a  great  wanderer. 
At  irregular  intervals,  say  from  once  in  a  fort- 
night to  once  in  two  months,  depending  on  the 
region,  it  returns  to  the  same  district.  Unlike 
the  wolf,  the  cougar,  in  returning  to  and  hunting 
over  a  district,  does  not  usually  go  over  the  same 
trail  and  buttes  he  has  used  on  the  previous  trip, 
but  prefers  to  explore  new  ground  on  each  occa- 

93 


TRACKS    AXD    TIfACKlXG 


Scale 
COUGAR.  (ONE-HALF 


fir/--.  ' 


NATURAL  SIZE)  *  fo°t 

(1)  Ordinary  gait. 

(2)  Sneaking. 

(3)  Trot. 

sion  unless  there  is  something  unusual  to  attract 
him.  If  his  tracks,  therefore,  are  seen  quite  often 
on  a  certain  lookout  point,  the  hunter  should  be 
alert  for  the  cause  of  attraction,  generally  a 

94 


THE    COUGAR 


fallen  tree,  or  an  overhanging  rock  protecting 
a  snug  dry  bed  beneath  from  rain  or  snow,  which 
are  always  situated  on  a  wind-sheltered  hillside 
facing  south.  When  such  a  place  is  known,  the 
hunter  should  scrupulously  refrain  from  going 
near  it,  to  avoid  leaving  any  scent  there;  but  he 
should  observe  the  "  nest "  as  often  as  he  comes 
into  its  vicinity,  and  from  a  convenient  distant 
point.  If  the  "  nest  "  has  an  occupant,  it  is  bet- 
ter to  let  a  bullet  investigate  before  the  hunter 
does  so  himself,  for  a  cat  is  a  cat,  and  if  its 
suspicions  are  aroused,  the  devil  cannot  beat  it  in 
trickiness — it  will  vanish  unobserved  without  the 
hunter  knowing  how  it  could  have  done  so.  I 
once  shot  one  out  of  a  bunch  of  three,  and  felt 
sure  the  remaining  two  were  "  my  meat,"  yet  not 
a  spot  of  yellow  of  them  did  I  see  afterward, 
although  every  nook  within  three  hundred  yards 
of  the  surrounding  country  was  seemingly  open 
to  my  scouting. 

This  is  tedious  hunting,  of  course,  and  the 
number  of  cougars  would  not  be  appreciably  les- 
sened by  the  method ;  but  one  lion  outwitted  thus 
is  worth  perhaps,  as  a  trophy  of  skill,  a  score 

95 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


killed  by  other  means;  and  besides,  it  at  least 
gives  the  still-hunter  a  chance. 

Cougars  do  not  respond  readily  to  being  called 
(by  imitating  the  cries  of  a  jack-rabbit) ;  at  least 
I  have  lured  but  one  in  eight  or  ten  years,  and 
missed  it  at  that.  Trapping  them  is  as  sure  as 
gambling,  i.  e.,  there  is  never  any  certainty  that 
one  will  get  the  lion,  and  as  their  existence  is  un- 
questionably obnoxious  to  sportsmen  and  stock- 
growers  alike,  hunting  them  with  dogs  is  a  com- 
mendable method,  since  it  insures  their  decrease, 
and  to  the  tyro  means  a  trophy. 

Barnyard  study  is,  undoubtedly,  responsible 
for  the  conclusions  advanced  by  some  writers  that 
the  members  of  the  cat  family  are  the  most  per- 
fect track  makers,  i.  e.,  walkers.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  trail  of  a  wild  cat  cannot  be  compared, 
so  far  as  perfection  goes,  with  the  trail  of  the 
wild  dog.  The  cougar's  tracks  seldom  register. 
He  either  oversteps  with  the  hind  foot  the  track 
made  by  the  forefoot  when  in  a  hurry,  or  he 
does  not  step  quite  far  enough  to  cover  the  fore- 
foot track  when  leisurely  walking,  and  the  indi- 
vidual tracks  do  not  stand  so  close  to  the  center 

96 


THE    COUGAR 


line  of  the  trail  as  do  those  of  the  wolf.  The 
roundness  of  the  track,  together  with  the  incon- 
spicuousness  of  the  nail  marks,  even  under  the 
most  favorable  tracking  conditions,  makes  the 
cougar  track  unmistakably  different  from  that  of 
a  wolf.  However,  on  hard  ground  the  track  of 
a  bear  and  a  lion  may  be  easily  taken  for  one 
another,  though  the  latter  contains  but  four  toe- 
marks.  But  then  every  toe-mark  is  not  often 
visible  on  hard  ground. 

With  all  predatory  animals  the  rule  holds  good 
that  the  female  track  appears  smaller  than  that 
of  the  male,  even  though  the  size  of  the  animals 
be  the  reverse.  For  example,  a  male  cougar 
measuring  seven  feet  from  tip  to  tip,  will  make  a 
bigger  track  than  a  nine-foot-long  female.  Al- 
though with  dividers  and  tape-line  one  might 
have  difficulty  to  ascertain  the  difference,  which 
at  best  would  be  very  small  to  the  eye,  it  is  unmis- 
takable, and  one  well  acquainted  with  tracks  can 
hardly  make  the  error  of  mistaking  a  female 
track  for  that  of  a  male.  The  latter  always  looks 
more  substantial. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  tracks  of  males  and 
97 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


females  of  predatory  animals  as  it  is  with  a 
bunch  of  deer,  or  of  a  single  one  for  that  mat- 
ter, after  bucks  have  shed  their  horns.  The  in- 
itiated can  tell  accurately  from  the  appearance 
of  the  animals  which  are  bucks  and  which  are 
does;  yet  if  questioned  how  he  knows  it,  he 
can  scarcely  answer.  At  best  he  will  say,  "  Be- 
cause it  looks  like  one."  The  reason  for  my 
dwelling  on  this  subject  is  by  no  means  an  idle 
one.  During  the  early  summer  the  ravages  of 
"  varmints  "  often  become  almost  unbearable  to 
stockmen,  and  since  females,  which  have  to  pro- 
vide for  their  offspring,  are  the  worst  offenders, 
it  is  well  for  anyone  to  be  able  to  distinguish  their 
tracks  from  those  of  males,  in  order  to  follow 
them  only,  as  they  are  the  only  ones  that  will 
always  with  certainty  lead  to  the  den  within  a 
day's  travel. 

Predatory  animals  are,  in  the  writer's  opinion, 
not  monogamous.  While  a  male  is  often  found 
with  a  family,  the  same  male  may  be  seen  the 
next  day  with  others  of  his  kind  miles  away.  I 
have  noted  this  while  following  game  on  horse- 
back. On  the  other  hand,  a  male  track  may  lead 

98 


THE    COUGAR 


to  several  dens  if  followed  far  enough.  On  sev- 
eral occasions  I  have  shot  two  or  even  three  males 
of  a  species  near  a  den  within  a  week  or  so, 
the  desire  to  kill  the  female  being  on  every  oc- 
casion responsible  for  the  long-continued  watch. 

In  following  a  track  with  the  purpose  of  hunt- 
ing up  a  den  it  makes  but  little  difference  whether 
the  trail  be  fresh  or  old.  A  trail  two  weeks  old, 
but  made  after  a  rain,  is  often  more  easily  fol- 
lowed than  a  fresher  one,  and  will  as  well  lead  to 
the  den's  vicinity,  as  the  latter  very  often  could 
not  be  followed  at  all  on  hard  ground;  and  a 
back-trail  often  leads  more  quickly  to  the  den 
than  one  leading  ahead.  Prevailing  conditions 
of  weather  and  lay  of  country  should  govern  the 
tracker's  choice  of  which  trail  to  follow.  He 
must  know  that  he  has  to  follow  the  back  track 
if  it  come§  from  rough  country,  for  the  den  is 
more  likely  situated  there  than  elsewhere. 

A  den  that  contains  young  cougars  is  readily 
recognized  by  the  superabundance  of  carcasses 
of  game  lying  around  its  vicinity. 

Certainly  unless  due  regard  is  given  to  the 
extermination  of  predatory  animals,  it  is  impos- 

99 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


sible  to  bring  a  hunting  preserve  up  to  the  high- 
est standard,  and  for  the  same  reason  their  unre- 
stricted existence  in  the  open  hunting  grounds 
can  only  be  harmful.  The  time  when  predatory 
animals  kept  the  number  of  other  game  in  a 
healthy  balance  has  passed,  and  the  sportsman 
who  kills  half  a  dozen  deer  ought  to  have  to  his 
credit  at  least  one  member  of  the  former  tribe  to 
offset  his  killing  those  of  the  latter.  As  few 
of  the  hunting  fraternity  attain  this  desirable 
result,  I  think  those  who  kill  as  many  or  more 
marauders  as  they  do  useful  game  animals, 
ought  to  be  hailed  as  benefactors  to  the  sports- 
men's fraternity.  Sometimes,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  such  an  action  is  referred  to  as  unsports- 
manlike by  those  who  would  soon  find  the 
woods  empty  of  desirable  game  if  others  gave  no 
more  attention  to  marauders  than  they  do  them- 
selves. 


100 


THE    LYNX 

WHAT  the  cougar  is  as  an  enemy  to  the 
useful  big  game,  the  bob-cat  is  to  small 
game  and  the  young  of  big  game.  He, 
however,  lacks  the  cunning  of  the  former,  being 
easily  called  or  trapped,  and  therefore  as  a  class, 
and  excepting  individual  cases  few  and  far 
between,  will  never  become  a  menace  to  either 
the  sportsmen's  fraternity  or  to  stockgrowers. 
Where  hundreds  of  them  infest  the  country — as 
in  certain  sections  of  the  Bad  Lands — they  only 
serve  to  check  the  increase  of  the  millions  of 
cottontail  rabbits,  which  would  otherwise  so  rap- 
idly multiply  that  they  would  become  a  destruc- 
tive pest  throughout  the  cultivated  sections  of  the 
country. 

The  tracker,  trailing  bob-cats  like  deer,  can 
often  surprise  them  at  prowling,  or  jump  them 
at  close  range  from  their  beds,  which  are  usually 
found  under  deadfalls  or  overhanging  rocks,  etc. 
Until  their  suspicions  are  aroused  they  are  very 

101 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


*  A 
«  / 

*  j 

*  r 


«•  H. 

*         r. 


(ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

(1)  Forefoot.     (2)  Hind  foot  (small  specimen; 
nail  marks  are  generally  invisible)  .    (3)  Im- 
print of  fox.     (4)  Lynx,  ordinary  gait.     (5 
and  6)  Fox,  ordinary  gait.    (6  and  7)  Com- 
rison  of  fox  and  lynx  trails  in  snow.     (8) 
ynx,  running.     (9)  Domestic  cat. 


E 


foolish  and  the  writer  has  shot  not  a  few  with  a 
.22  rifle  when  still-hunting  for  rabbits.  When 
called,  they  have  not  sense  enough  to  run  away 
if  missed  by  the  first  and  even  second  shot.  In 

102 


THE    LYNX 


RIGHT  FRONT  PAW  OF  LYNX 

hunting  them  with  dogs  they  give  good  sport,  and 
not  infrequently  get  away  by  entering  holes  or 
putting  the  dogs  to  shame  in  some  other  manner. 

103 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


RED  LYNX 

At  a  careless  glance  the  lynx  track  is  but  a 
miniature  of  that  of  the  cougar,  but  a  close  ex- 
amination reveals  the  fact  that  the  marks  of  the 
individual  toes  are  proportionately  much  more 
elongated  than  in  the  latter.  The  trail,  though 

104 


LYNX  TRAIL 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


much  better  than  the  mountain  lion's  trail,  is  not 
as  perfect  as  that  of  the  coyote  or  fox,  for  either 
of  which  it  might  be  mistaken  in  loose  snow;  it 
is  always  more  out  of  line.  In  Country  Life  in 
America  for  June,  1905,  a  well-known  nature 
writer  shows  a  lynx  trail,  as  perfectly  as  it  can  be 
illustrated,  as  that  of  a  fox.  With  such  good 
standing  tracks  it  is  inexcusable  if  the  trailer 
makes  a  mistake,  and  even  if  one  has  had  but 
little  actual  experience  in  the  woods,  a  less  per- 
fect outline  of  the  trail  will  be  found  sufficient 
to  tell  the  wild  cat  from  the  wild  dog. 

In  snow  five  inches  or  more  deep  the  lynx 
makes,  as  a  rule,  quite  a  drag  with  his  feet,  much 
more  so  than  either  fox  or  coyote,  which  latter 
disturbs  the  snow  only  near  the  individual  tracks. 
On  good  tracking  ground,  or  in  soft  snow,  the 
nail  marks  are  sometimes  visible,  but  never  prom- 
inent like  those  of  the  fox  or  coyote. 


106 


THE    DOMESTIC    CAT 

Y  1 1HE  track  and  trail  of  the  house  cat — (if  it 
J_  were  only  a  house  cat  nothing  would  be 
said  about  it  here) — is  too  well  known  to 
need  description.  If  it  is  found  anywhere  in 
hunting  grounds,  parks,  etc.,  the  finder  will  con- 
fer a  benefit  on  lovers  of  nature  and  its  feathered 
denizens  if  he,  where  possible,  will  set  a  trap 
baited  with  fish  (herring) ,  or  cheese ;  or  if  there  is 
a  chance  to  fill  the  "  varmint's  "  anatomy  with 
pellets  from  a  shotgun  or  a  .22  rifle,  or  to  cut  it 
in  two  with  a  big  rifle  bullet,  he  should  never  fail 
to  do  so.  It  may  seem  a  waste  of  powder  and 
lead,  but  it  is  not,  for  in  my  opinion  there  is  no 
more  harmful  creature  a-foot  or  a-wing  than  the 
domestic  cat  outdoors. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  estimate  the  amount 
of  damage  they  do  by  killing  songsters  which 
nature  intended  to  check  insect  pests.  As  far  as 
the  sportsman  is  concerned,  a  single  cat  will  often 
deprive  him  of  his  shooting  in  given  localities,  for, 

107 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


if  it  has  once  found  the  location  of  a  bevy  of 
quail,  grouse  or  other  game  birds,  it  will  not  stop 
until  the  last  one  of  the  family  is  killed. 

Wild  predatory  animals  generally  restrict  their 
raids  to  the  hours  of  the  night ;  a  domestic  cat  will 
prowl  and  kill  at  any  hour  during  the  twenty- 
four.  Some  specimens  attack  even  deer  fawns 
and  other  game  of  like  size. 

A  cat  shrinks  from  nothing  in  its  lust  for  kill- 
ing— not  even  from  water — and  I  remember  see- 
ing a  big  tom-cat  rob  a  pond  in  a  city  park  of  its 
goldfish.  Unluckily  for  the  marauder  I  had  a 
gun  with  me. 

Anyone  interested  in  shooting  should  keep  a 
lookout  for  cat  tracks  in  the  woods  during  the 
summer  and  autumn,  and  do  his  best  to  let  them 
show  no  more. 


108 


THE    WOLF 

THERE  is  perhaps  no  other  animal  about 
which  more  disagreeable  things  are  said 
and  written  than  the  wolf,  yet  the  writer, 
though  recognizing  its  bad  points,  would  dislike 
to  have  it  become  extinct.     Its  howl  is  insep- 
arably associated  with  many  of  my  pleasantest 
recollections,  and  the  butte-fringed  prairies  and 
rugged  Bad  Lands  would  have  decidedly  less 
charm  without  it  for  one  who  has  learned  to 
love  that  so-called  "  God- forsaken  country." 

Except  under  unusually  severe  weather  con- 
ditions, wolves  generally  kill  only  the  weakest  of 
range  stock  and  big  game  animals,  and  I  doubt 
if  their  so-called  depredations  in  this  respect  are 
anything  but  a  benefit  to  the  survivors,  as  weak- 
lings among  any  species  of  animals  are  always 
inimical  to  the  general  health  and  condition  of 
the  respective  variety.  The  wolf  in  this  regard 
does  only  what  the  sensible  warden  of  a  well- 
conducted  game  preserve  does;  i.e.,  weeds  out 

109 


s 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


undesirable  specimens.  In  Yellowstone  Park, 
for  example,  since  the  cougars  there  are  system- 
atically hunted  with  hounds,  wolves  and  coyotes 
ought  to  be  protected  to  a  certain  extent  or  else 
the  result  will  undoubtedly  be  a  general  degen- 
eration among  the  game  animals  in  that  region. 

Before  the  warfare  against  lions  was  started, 
there  were  already  many  scabby  elks  in  that  great 
preserve,  and  if  the  slaughter  of  scavengers  is 
kept  up  indiscriminately — well,  a  reasonable  per- 
son can  only  await  results  with  misgivings. 
Nature  alwrays  works  out  her  course  best  if  left 
alone,  and  I  believe  that  in  the  case  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone Park  the  Nation  in  the  course  of  time 
will  be  willing  to  pay  ten  times  the  amount  it 
now  pays  for  their  extermination  to  have  the 
"  varmints  "  alive  in  that  great  preserve.  Where 
weaklings  are  not  abundant,  game  animals  nat- 
urally suffer  from  an  abundance  of  wolves,  and 
where  the  stock-raiser  has  enough  sense  to  dis- 
pose of  sick  or  weak  stock  himself,  Old  Gray  has 
no  business. 

In  hunting  wolves  the  quickest  results  are  ob- 
tained in  calling  by  imitating  the  cries  of  a  jack- 
Ill 


TRACKS    AXD    TRACKING 


2.  3.  4. 


jl  JL 

I  *  * 


t  # 


00 


II 

* 


h 

f» 


** 


•**•  x  (£*» 

Lie  i«i;  Scale 


1  foot  1  foot 

(1)  Wolf  (slow  trot).  (2)  Dog  (trot).  (3)  Wolf  (quick  trot).  (4) 
Wolf  (gallop).  (5)  Dog  walking  slowly;  a  motion  never  seen  in 
the  wolf  trail. 

rabbit.  Wolves  evidently  think  one  of  their 
tribe  has  caught  a  bunny,  and,  as  Wildenbruch 
fittingly  says:  "Each  and  everyone  would  eat 


THE    WOLF 


him."  This  trait  is  shared  by  most  other  marau- 
ders. The  wolf  is  a  poor  runner,  and  is  easily 
run  down  with  the  aid  of  an  ordinary  horse  in 
open  country. 

The  surest  and  most  effective  way  apart  from 
calling,  is  by  trapping,  which  is  the  most  ex- 
tensively practiced,  and  he  who  says  that  trap- 
ping is  not  great  sport  has  surely  never  tried  to 
outwit  an  old  wolf.  I  always  measure  sport  by 
the  amount  of  skill  required. 

The  keeper  of  a  game  preserve,  who  is  not  ac- 
quainted with  the  use  of  traps  and  other  devices 
designed  to  decrease  predatory  animals,  will 
never  succeed  in  showing  first-class  results  to  the 
owner  or  owners  so  far  as  abundance  of  game  is 
concerned;  and  what  holds  good  in  the  case  of 
the  shooting-preserves  holds  good  also  for  the 
open  hunting  grounds. 

The  track  of  an  old  full-grown  wolf,  although 
similar  to  that  of  a  dog,  differs  from  the  latter, 
inasmuch  as  it  shows  that  the  foot  is  less  fleshy, 
the  soles  of  the  various  toes  appearing  more 
sharply  divided  than  in  the  dog's  track.  The 
latter  has  a  comparatively  big  foot  but  also  a 

113 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


soft  foot  which,  being  plainly  visible  in  the  ordi- 
nary gait,  becomes  much  more  apparent  where 
the  animal  adopts  a  quicker  motion.  The  toes  are 
then  spread  out  to  an  extent  never  found  in  the 
wolf,  except  when  the  latter  is  running  very  fast, 
and  consequently  the  nail  marks  of  the  two  mid- 
dle toes  of  the  dog  are  about  twice  as  far  apart 
as  those  of  his  wild  relative.  A  wolf  trail  shows 
the  individual  tracks  ordinarily  about  eighteen 
inches  apart,  while  the  dog,  making  the  same 
size  or  a  slightly  bigger  track,  steps  at  the  same 
gait  less  than  fourteen  inches ;  and  if,  in  trotting, 
he  should  equal  the  length  of  wolf-steps,  the 
spread  of  the  middle  toes  makes  his  tracks  easily 
recognizable.  A  good-stepping  dog  steps  about 
as  near  the  center  line  as  the  wolf,  but  as  his 
steps  are  shorter,  they  appear  more  out  of  line 
to  the  eye.  This  is  an  optical  illusion,  but  it 
serves  the  tracker's  purpose. 

A  young  wolf,  say  less  than  one  year  old,  has 
as  soft  a  foot  as  a  dog's.  However,  as  young 
wolves  go  mostly  in  packs,  following  the  trail 
will  generally  reveal  the  identity  of  the  animal. 
Usually  wolves  do  not  track  continuously,  one 

114 


THE    WOLF 


animal  investigating  here  and  another  there, 
while  the  main  trail  leads  on.  Dogs,  two  or  more, 
show  no  clear-cut  single  trail  even  for  so  short  a 
space  as  ten  feet,  while  a  number  of  wolves  often 
travel  several  hundred  yards  with  the  trail  show- 
ing as  though  only  one  animal  had  made  it.  If 
one  sees  a  wolf  trail,  and  without  following  it 
concludes  that  it  was  made  by  a  single  specimen, 
he  is  liable  to  make  the  same  mistake  "  Liver-eat- 
ing "  Johnson  made  with  a  bunch  of  horse-steal- 
ing Indians.  He  was  stopping  with  a  friend, 
Eugene  Irvin,  also  an  old  Indian  fighter,  and 
one  morning  noticed  about  fifty  horse-tracks,  of 
which  he  concluded  only  about  half-a-dozen  were 
made  by  horses  mounted  by  redskins.  Instead 
of  following  out  on  the  prairies  and  deciding 
there  from  the  comparative  absence  of  dust  in 
the  tracks — a  rider  is  not  mixed  up  with  the  herd 
he  is  driving,  and  consequently  in  his  mount's 
tracks  less  dust  is  to  be  found — he  hurried  back 
to  induce  Irvin  to  join  him  in  the  pursuit  of  the 
Indians.  Now  that  old  scout  was  not  as  eager 
for  the  horses  as  "  Liver-eating,"  and  not  at  all 
for  a  fight,  but  for  old  friendship's  sake  said  he 

115 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


would  come  along  if  a  couple  more  fellows  could 
be  found,  which,  by  the  way,  he  did  not  believe 
possible,  for  the  country  was  not  settled  then  as 
it  is  now.  But  it  happened  that  two  men  did 
come  along  just  at  that  moment,  and  Johnson 
soon  convinced  them  that  profitable  business  was 
ahead  if  they  joined  in  the  pursuit.  So  the  four 
went,  taking  a  straight  cut  toward  Horsethief,  a 
section  of  the  country  southeast  of  the  Big 
Snowy  Mountains,  where  they  thought  the 
Indians  would  make  a  halt. 

About  three  o'clock  that  afternoon  they  over- 
took the  "  Reds,"  but  found  to  their  chagrin  that 
a  dozen  bucks  were  ready  to  give  battle,  while 
still  four  or  five  were  left  to  attend  to  the  stolen 
horses,  and  as  neither  Johnson  nor  any  of  his 
companions  were  burning  for  a  fight,  in  which 
there  was  no  promise  of  getting  anything  but 
bullet  holes,  Johnson  decided  that  he  would 
rather  go  home  without  the  horses. 

In  the  Bull  Mountains  a  hunter  followed  a 
wolf  trail  into  a  ravine  from  which  there  was 
no  escape  for  the  "  varmint "  except  past  him, 
and  he  was  promptly  attacked  by  a  half-dozen 

116 


THE    WOLF 


wolves.  He  killed  four  after  a  hard  fight,  but 
he  was  pretty  well  chewed  up  at  the  finish.  Of 
course  he  had  expected  to  find  only  one  in  the 
gulch. 

As  a  rule  the  wolf  is  not  anxious  to  fight, 
although  not  so  cowardly  as  most  other  animals — 
the  cougar  for  example — yet  I  have  seen  a  single 
specimen  follow  a  hunter,  a  boy  of  twelve  years, 
but  the  best  rifle  shot  I  ever  met,  about  two  miles. 
I  was  with  him,  and  waited  for  that  wolf  until 
he  was  within  twenty  yards,  when  I  allowed  the 
boy  to  fire.  His  nerves  were  evidently  too  much 
shaken,  for  he  missed  his  first  wolf — nevertheless 
he  got  his  pelt. 

The  locating  of  dens,  as  explained  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  cougar,  is  also  applicable  to  wolves. 


11Y 


THE    COYOTE 

WHAT  has  been  said  in  regard  to  the  wolf 
and  dog  track,  is  applicable  also  to  the 
track  and  trail  of  the  prairie  wolf,  but 
as  the  latter  is  small  there  always  exists  the  pos- 
sibility that  its  track  will  be  mistaken  for  that  of 
the  fox.  Where  the  locality  gives  no  clue  to  the 
identity  of  the  maker  of  the  trail,  the  tracker  has 
no  distinguishing  feature  whatever  from  which 
to  form  his  judgment,  since  a  big  red  fox  makes 
as  big  a  track  as  a  small  coyote.  The  writer, 
after  hunting  foxes  for  many  years,  followed 
what  he  took  for  fox  trails  quite  frequently  in 
a  certain  section  of  the  country,  until  he  discov- 
ered that  there  was  no  fox  within  a  couple  of 
hundred  miles  of  the  place.  A  big  coyote,  of 
course,  makes  a  larger  track  than  a  fox,  but  here 
all  difference  stops.  For  comparison's  sake  the 
track  and  trail  of  the  average  coyote  and  of  the 
average  fox  are  shown. 

118 


Scale  1  foot 


S 


* 


COYOTE.     (TWO-THIRDS  NATURAL  SIZE) 
(1)  Ordinary  trot.     (2)  Fast  trot. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


The  hunting  methods  are  the  same  as  for  the 
gray  wolf.  Where  the  latter,  however,  is  looking 
for  the  living,  the  coyote  is  watching  for  the  dead, 
and  he  rather  deserves  to  be  called  the  hyena 
of  the  Western  Hemisphere  than  prairie  wolf, 
for  his  main  diet  is  carrion.  His  addiction  to 
carrion  can  be  made  of  use  to  the  hunter,  in 
locating  big  game  which  has  been  unfortunately 
"  shot  to  the  woods,"  and  of  which  he  desires  to 
secure  at  least  the  antlered  or  horned  head. 

In  locating  missing  persons,  who  are  supposed 
to  have  met  with  a  fatal  accident  or  worse,  the 
trail  of  the  coyote  could  be  employed  to  advan- 
tage— and  undoubtedly  will  be,  if  it  is  once  a 
matter  of  general  knowledge  that  the  prairie 
wolf  will  always  visit  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  remains  of  a  hidden  or  buried  human  body, 
and  sound  its  dismal  howl  over  them  every  time 
it  happens  to  pass  through  that  part  of  the 
country. 


120 


THE    FOX 

THERE  is  very  little  to  add  to  what  has 
been  said  about  the  fox  track  in  the  chap- 
ter on  the  coyote.  When  galloping,  the 
fox's  trail  shows  many  variations  not  found  in 
that  of  any  other  animal,  but  as  the  sinful  fellow 
generally  leaps  only  when  he  undertakes  a  chase, 
or  is  chased  himself,  the  features  in  the  running 
trail  are  practically  of  little  or  no  consequence 
to  the  tracker.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  confound 
a  fox  trail  with  that  of  a  very  small  dog — only 
in  that  the  latter  has  a  foot  as  small  as  the  aver- 
age fox — on  account  of  the  glaring  dissimilarity 
in  the  length  of  the  individual  steps,  which  is 
much  more  apparent  than  between  the  wolf  and 
big  dog.  The  writer,  at  the  tender  age  of  seven, 
mistook  once  a  very  small  dog's  trail  for  that  of 
a  fox,  but  after  his  father  pointed  out  the  above 
feature,  he  never  afterwards  made  such  a  mis- 
take. 


t 
0 

* 


* 

I 

* 

A 


Scale  ' 

— ^^^— 

f  foot 


FOX.     (TWO-THIRDS  NATURAL  SIZE) 


Front  and  hind  track.     (1)  Ordinary  gait;   the  shaded  part  shows  drag  of 
brush.     (2)  Running. 


THE    FOX 

When  no  individual  track  is  visible,  as  is  the 
case  in  dry  snow,  the  blurry  mark  of  the  fox 
brush  which  is  frequently  seen  at  intervals  in  the 
trail  settles  any  existing  doubt.  Some  foxes,  as 
well  as  wolves  and  coyotes,  drag  their  feet  to  the 
same  extent  as  does  a  dog  that  walks  badly,  and 
because  of  this  the  tracker  may  disregard  as  im- 
material the  prominence  or  absence  of  the  drag 
made  by  the  toenails. 

Hunting  foxes  with  hounds  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  popular  method. 

Calling  him  like  the  wolf  and  coyote  yields 
good  results  for  the  still-hunter,  but  of  all 
methods  I  prefer  to  shoot  them  during  the  rut- 
ting season,  which  occurs  in  January.  The  rut- 
ting season  of  coyotes  is  during  February,  and 
that  of  wolves  from  January  1st  until  April, 
approximately  speaking.  I  have  seen  wolves 
"  run "  as  early  as  December  28th,  and  have 
killed  pups  about  two  weeks  old  after  the  mid- 
dle of  June. 

It  is  on  snowy,  blustering  days  that,  in  the 
depth  of  the  woods,  the  fox  is  holding  high  car- 
nival, and  his  and  her  tracks  run  in  all  directions. 

123 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


Watching  where  the  trails  are  most  numerous 
soon  furnishes  work  for  the  gun  and  trophies  for 
the  hunter,  for  on  such  occasions  the  fox  seems 
to  have  lost  the  senses  of  sight  and  smell  which 
at  other  times  are  so  well  developed.  It  is  a 
singular  fact  that  they  always  run  the  most  dur- 
ing the  worst  weather.  In  driving  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  tell  where  a  wolf  or  coyote  will  leave  a  cer- 
tain thicket,  beyond  that  it  will  not  leave  it  where 
it  entered;  but  a  fox  is  always  the  sure  victim  of 
the  hunter  if  he  knows  the  fox  path,  for  like  the 
bear  or  old  boar,  he  and  every  one  of  his  tribe 
will  always  leave  a  thicket  at  the  same  point. 

In  calling,  an  old  fox,  like  a  wolf,  comes 
stealthily,  while  a  young  one,  like  a  coyote,  will 
generally  be  in  a  hurry  to  get  there. 


WHAT  TRACKING  MEANS,  AND 
SOME  HUNTING  METHODS 

BY  the  term  "  tracking  "  we  usually  under- 
stand the  following  of  a  trail,  but  if  a 
hunter  attempts  to  get  a  shot  at  his  quarry 
solely  by  this  means  he  has  to  depend  on  good 
luck  or  physical  endurance.  The  cougar  is,  in 
my  opinion,  the  most  perfect  tracker  and  most 
successful  still-hunter;  he  tracks,  but  he  does  not 
follow  the  trail  like  a  pack  of  wolves  or  dogs; 
he  uses  it  only  as  a  guide,  following  it  for  an 
occasional  fifty  or  one  hundred  yards,  which  is 
to  my  mind  the  proper  method  for  the  human 
hunter. 

Tracking  also  means  the  ascertaining  of  the 
preferred  stand  of  certain  animals.  If,  for  ex- 
ample, the  rutting  place  of  the  biggest  elk  in  a 
district  is  located  by  comparison  of  various 
tracks,  and  the  bull  is  shot  later  by  waiting  for, 
or  stalking  him  at  his  favorite  place,  he  un- 
doubtedly falls  a  victim  to  tracking.  Again,  a 

125 


TRACKS    AX  I)    TRACKING 


track  of  a  big  bull  moose  is  seen,  and  though  it 
is  too  old  to  warrant  expectations  of  finding  the 
animal  still  in  the  locality,  it  is  followed  and 
determines  where  the  bull  made  his  resting-place. 
When,  weeks  later,  perhaps,  the  fresh  trail  of 
the  same  bull  is  seen  and  again  the  previously  pre- 
ferred hillside,  or  another  specific  part  of  the 
woods  is  hunted  over  carefully  without  attention 
to  the  trail,  but  with  all  consideration  for  wind- 
direction  and  lay  of  country,  and  a  fair  shot  is 
obtained,  can  it  be  doubted  that  tracking  was 
responsible  for  the  downfall  of  this  monarch  of 
the  woods?  If  so,  let  the  doubter  once  follow 
a  moose  track  straight  and  try  to  get  an  easy 
shot:  he  will  probably  change  his  mind.  The 
locating  of  game,  sometimes  weeks  in  advance 
of  the  time  when  the  shooting  is  to  be  done,  is 
not  by  any  means  the  least  feature  in  the  art  of 
tracking.  To  reduce,  if  possible,  the  annual 
slaughter  of  men  by  careless  hunters,  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  discuss  certain  hunting  methods  which 
have  given  me  the  most  satisfaction,  and  which 
obviate  the  possibility  of  being  fired  at  by  mis- 
take. 

126 


WHAT    TRACKING    MEANS 


Stalking  along  in  grown-up  timber  and  other 
open  places,  the  sportsman  will  run  across  the 
trails  of  all  the  animals  which  have  moved  in  the 
district  he  covers,  and,  having  decided  which  trail 
he  wishes  to  follow,  he  keeps  on  in  the  direction 
it  leads.  If  it  enters  a  thicket,  a  circuitous  route 
—under  wind — will  lead  him  to  where  the  animal 
has  passed  out,  or  show  him  that  it  is  "  fast,"  i.  e., 
in  the  thicket.  If  the  former,  he,  of  course,  has 
to  pursue  the  same  tactics  until  the  game  is 
located.  The  rest  is  generally  easy  enough,  and 
that  without  entering  any  thicket,  where,  as  we 
all  know,  it  usually  happens  that  hunters  are 
mistaken  for  deer. 

Many  hunters  in  relating  their  experiences  tell 
us  how  careful  they  were  to  hunt  against  the 
wind,  to  approach  their  game.  While  it  is  well 
enough  to  have  the  wind  against  one  if  the  game 
is  in  sight  or  driven  toward  one,  I  cdnsider  it 
more  judicious  to  make  the  wind  serve  me.  Hav- 
ing located  an  animal  in  a  thicket,  I  select  a 
stump  or  some  other  elevation  to  windward  which 
allows  the  widest  possible  view,  and  simply  wait 
long  enough  to  allow  the  wind  to  inform  my 

127 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


quarry  of  my  presence.  It  will  not  require  long 
for  the  game  to  take  the  hint  and  get  up — often 
affording  a  shot  by  this  means  alone — to  leave 
the  premises.  Very  few  are  the  instances  that 
an  old  buck  goes  straight  away  and  gives  me  no 
chance  to  see  him,  because  in  that  case  he  would 
have  to  cross  my  trail,  and  to  do  that  the  wind, 
or  rather  my  scent,  does  not  frighten  him  enough ; 
and  if  he  goes  out  at  the  side  which  is  untainted 
by  any  scent  of  man,  he  is  usually  my  meat — if 
he  is  up  to  my  standard.  If  the  thicket  is  too 
big,  the  smoke  of  a  pipe  will  often  do  wonders. 
The  biggest  buck  I  ever  shot,  became  my  victim 
through  the  assistance  of  a  smudge — the  thicket 
in  that  instance  being  about  ten  acres  in  extent. 
The  diagram  (p.  130)  will  illustrate  the  method 
better  than  words  could.  I  have  used  it  with  suc- 
cess on  many  animals,  and  even  on  a  wounded 
bear. 

During  snowless  times  no  one  can  know  with 
certainty  if  a  deer  is  in  a  certain  thicket,  and 
the  method  has  to  be  employed  at  random  where 
there  are  enough  signs  to  make  it  likely  that  a 
buck  is  near. 

128 


WHAT    TRACKING    MEANS 


In  hunting  against  the  wind  in  open  forests 
more  game  is  passed  than  many  hunters  would 
suppose.  The  animals  see  the  man,  note  that  he 
will  pass  them,  and  hide  by  getting  as  near  to 
the  ground  as  possible.  If  they  scent  him  after 
he  has  passed,  they  evidently  realize  that  the 
danger  is  over,  though  some,  mostly  the  younger, 
inexperienced  animals,  then  sneak  off.  Where 
game  is  very  wild  it  is  often  in  such  localities  as 
I  have  mentioned  only  possible  to  approach  them 
with  the  wind  by  outdistancing  the  latter,  be- 
cause a  big  game  animal  at  rest  depends  on  its 
nose  to  save  it  from  danger  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  wind  comes,  and  on  its  eyes  to  watch 
the  side  from  which  it  can  get  no  other  warning. 

Desirable  game  is  often  located  on  slopes,  and 
can  be  shot  from  an  opposite  slope  if  only  it  can 
be  made  to  move  around  slowly,  the  latter  being 
important,  as  shots  in  such  cases  have  usually  to 
be  fired  at  long  distance,  and  the  ability  to  hit 
running  game  at  three  hundred  or  four  hundred 
yards  is  not  possessed  by  everybody. 

An  imitation  of  the  lamenting  cry  of  a  jack- 
rabbit  serves  me  best  in  such  cases,  though  it  has 

129 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


often  saved  the  game  I  was  after,  because  it  has 
attracted  a  wolf,  or  a  cat;  and  I  would  rather 
kill  one  "  varmint "  than  half  a  dozen  bucks, 
which  last  can  at  best  elude  a  man  who  knows 
how  to  track  for  but  a  limited  length  of  time. 

\ 


HUNTING  WITH  THE  WIND 

The  stand  is  at  2  if  the  hunter  is  alone,  and  uses  only  his  scent  or  pipe 
smoke  to  drive  the  deer  out  of  the  thicket.  If  a  smudge  is  used 
for  this  purpose,  as  is  necessary  in  big  thickets,  the  stand  is  at  1, 
and  if  the  hunter  has  a  companion,  one  stands  at  1,  and  the  other 
at  2.  A  smudge  should  be  made  distant  enough  from  the  thicket 
— about  at  3 — to  give  the  hunter  time  to  go  around,  and  take  his 
stand  at  1. 

130 


WHAT    TRACKING   MEANS 


The  sketch  of  leaps  of  wounded  animals 
apply  to  all  of  our  hoofed  game  except  bighorn 
sheep.  In  any  case,  where  one  of  them  has  been 
fired  at,  the  trail  should  be  followed  for  at  least 
two  hundred  yards,  as  often  an  animal  that  goes 
away  with  the  bounds  of  an  apparently  sound 
creature,  will  announce  its  distress  through  the 
placing  of  its  feet,  a  sure  indication  to  the 
tracker  that  he  will  be  able  to  get  his  victim  at 
the  trail's  end. 


131 


PART  ONE 

GROUP   II 


THE    JACK-RABBIT 

THE  jack-rabbit  is  generally  a  resident  of 
open  country,  though  he  may  be  found 
also  in  woodlands;  and,  in  some  parts  of 
the  country,  when  deep  snow  covers  the  low- 
lands, he  retires  to  the  fastnesses  of  the  moun- 
tains, where,  up  to  altitudes  of  eight  thousand 
feet,  he  frequents  the  range  of  Bighorn. 

He  is  unquestionably  the  delight  of  the  hunter 
who  desires  to  acquire  efficiency  in  hitting  moving 
objects  with  a  rifle  bullet. 

His  tracks,  being  the  biggest  of  the  rabbit 
tribe,  cannot  very  well  be  mistaken  for  those  of 
any  other  animal.  On  sandy  or  muddy  places 
often  only  the  imprint  of  the  front  part  of  the 
hind  foot  is  seen;  and  on  hard  roads,  plow  fur- 
rows, etc.,  usually  the  mark  of  the  toenails  alone 
is  visible.  When  the  animal  is  feeding  or  mov- 
ing along  slowly,  the  whole  imprints  of  the  hind 
feet  are  left,  while  with  increasing  speed  only  the 
front  parts  of  them  touch  the  ground.  The 

135 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


JACK-RABBIT 

forefeet  rarely  pair,  and  never  if  a  jack-rabbit 
is  running.  If  the  long-eared  fellow  decides  in 
the  morning  that  it  is  time  to  retire  for  the  day, 
he  usually  runs  along  a  road,  cattle-runway,  or 
the  like,  returns  in  his  own  trail,  and  by  a  long 

136 


XX 


I 

If 

u 

> 

A 

^  /) 
1 

4 

»J  A 

1  4 

M 


JACK  RABBIT 

(1)  Morning  trail  (easy  lope).  (2)  Moving  slowly.  (3)  Speeding. 
(A)  Side-jump.  (B)  Day  form.  (E)  Night  forms.  (B  to  D) 
Morning  trail  and  night  trail  (feeding). 


TRACKS    AXD    TRACKING 


side  leap  makes  the  trail  seem  to  end.  Where 
he  lands,  the  four  foot-marks  are  usually  so  close 
together  that  they  can  be  almost  covered  with 
the  hand.  He  may  leap  directly  into  his 
"  form,"  or  he  may  repeat  the  same  maneuver 
several  times;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  a  jack 
which  acts  in  this  manner  is  never  far  from  home. 
If  pursued  during  the  daytime,  he  employs  the 
same  tactics  again  and  again  to  throw  the  pursuer 
off  the  trail.  At  feeding  places  slight  forms 
are  often  observed,  and  to  follow  the  trail  lead- 
ing from  them  means,  as  a  rule,  a  tiring  walk, 
as  those  forms  indicate  that  the  jack  has  spent 
the  after-supper  hours  there. 

I  have  hunted  with  men  who  blamed  their  dogs 
if  they  failed  to  catch  a  rabbit  with  a  broken 
foreleg.  They  evidently  did  not  consider  that 
a  broken  foreleg  is  of  very  little  consequence  to 
the  running  efficiency  of  that  kind  of  animal. 
One  with  an  injured  hind  leg,  however,  can  be 
run  down  easily. 


138 


JACK  RABBIT.     (TWO-THIRDS  NATURAL  SIZE) 
(A)  Front  foot.     (B)  Hind  foot. 


THE  Varying  Hare,  though  scarcely  half 
the  size  of  the  jack-rabbit,  makes  almost 
as  large  a  track,  and  when  he  spreads  his 
feet  in  passing  over  frozen  snow  his  tracks  are 
fully  as  large.  The  entire  track  picture,  how- 
ever, differs  materially  from  that  of  the  jack — 
the  individual  tracks  stand  much  closer  together, 
and  the  feet  are  usually  paired.  The  hare  makes 
many  different  track  pictures,  but  he  cannot  long 
refrain  from  making  the  jump — shown  slightly 
reduced  in  the  illustration — and  a  following  of 
the  trail  for  a  short  distance  will  always  dispel  any 
existing  doubt,  even  if  the  individual  tracks  are 
larger  than  those  of  a  young  jack-rabbit.  There 
is  a  much  greater  likelihood  of  mistaking  the 
varying  hare's  trail  for  that  of  the  cottontail  rab- 
bit, with  which  it  has  many  points  of  resemblance. 
Only  the  slenderness  of  the  rabbit's  foot  serves 
as  a  distinguishing  feature  in  the  trail  so  long  as 

140 


THE    VARYING    HARE 


VARYING  HARE 


they  are  both  unalarmed.  If,  however,  they  are 
put  on  the  quick  jump,  the  similarity  of  the  two 
trails  disappears. 

141 


VARYING  HARE.     (SLIGHTLY  REDUCED) 


i  z  a 

M  • 

00        08  « 

11  ft 

-         DO  « 


I 

I 


00 


$  00 


(1)  At  leisure  (one  to  three  feet).     (2) 
Steady  lope  (three  to  five  feet);  the 
front   tracks   blend  into  one  mark.       Varying  Hare   track  when 
(3)  On  the  quick  jump  (five  to  twelve  the  snow  is  deeper  than 

feet).  a  couple  of  inches. 

VARYING  HARE  TRACKS 


THE    COTTONTAIL    RABBIT 

A 5  can  be  easily  seen  from  a  comparison  of 
the  life-size  track  picture  of  the  varying 
hare  and  cottontail — drawn  from  tracks 
made  under  the  same  tracking  conditions,  i.  e.,  on 
ground  covered  by  about  two  inches  of  snow,  and 
while  the  animals  were  running  at  approximately 
the  same  speed — the  tracks  of  the  cottontail,  be- 
sides being  much  more  slender  than  those  of  the 
hare,  are  also  more  pencil-shaped  at  the  point  of 
the  toes.  The  toes  are  but  faintly  indicated,  and 
the  toenails  practically  indiscernible,  while  in  the 
case  of  the  hare  both  are  plainly  visible;  in  fact, 
the  imprint  of  the  toenails  is  a  prominent  feature 
in  the  track  of  the  hare.  In  every  case  where  any 
doubt  exists  in  regard  to  the  tracks  of  the  two 
small  varieties,  this  alone  is  sufficient  to  settle  it; 
as  the  toe  marks  are  more  prominent  in  the 
front  track,  its  appearance  alone  is  sufficient  for 
the  trailer  to  form  a  correct  conclusion.  Except 
when  jumping  with  the  hind  feet  into  the 

144 


front  tracks  two  individual  tracks  *. 

H         Qt 

of  the  cottontail  never  blend  into  '  9 

1* 

one  mark  on  account  of  the  slen- 
derness  of  the  feet.     The  jump  A 

picture  of  both  the  small  rabbits 
in  dry  snow  sometimes  appears      n 
very  much  like  that  of  the  mar-      |      ** 
ten ;  but  by  following  the  trail  for     £ 
a  short  distance  one  will  always  \i 

^* 

dispel  any  doubt. 

In  illustrated  articles  the  writer  E  if          1 1 

has   seen    drawings   and   photo-  T  *  * 

graphs     of    tracks     and    trails  ^  jj 

claimed  to  have  been  made  by  the  s*  '* 

J  K* 

New  England   cottontail  which     jj 

looked  exactly  like  those  made  by     3     |l          0 

the  varying  hare.     If  there  was      B4  *< 

^ 

no  mistake  in  identification,  the      =r   ^f 
Western  cottontail,  which  the  il-     -3 
lustrations    represent,    evidently  t 

makes   tracks   entirely  different  /f  < 

^ 

from  those  of  the  Eastern  vari- 
ety.   There  is  every  reason  to  be-  (; 
lieve,  however,  that  the  track  of          9J 

145 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


COTTON  TAIL  RABBIT 

the  same  type  of  rabbit  is  the  same  in  every  part 
of  the  country. 

While  the  pursuit  of  big  game  is  exciting 
sport  at  times,  hunting  rabbits  is  always  attended 
with  soul-satisfying  fun.  A  famous  occupant 
of  the  White  House  found  recreation  and  pleas- 

146 


THE    COTTONTAIL    RABBIT 


COTTONTAIL  RABBIT 

The  dotted  line  shows  the  real  length  of  foot. 

ure  in  it,  and  I  believe  that  few  hunters  who 
ever  entered  into  the  true  spirit  of  the  sport  have 
failed  to  obtain  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  and 
healthful  exercise. 

147 


THE    SQUIRREL 

THE  squirrel  practically  always  pairs  its 
feet  when  on  the  ground.  Like  the  other 
members  of  Group  II  its  hind  feet  are 
much  larger  than  the  forefeet,  and,  as  in  the 
track-picture,  are  always  planted  ahead  of  the 
latter.  The  hind  feet  point  outward,  so  that 
even  by  imperfect  imprints,  it  may  readily  be 
seen  in  which  direction  the  trail  leads.  As  there 
is  no  other  track  known  to  the  writer  which  could 
be  confused  with  the  squirrel's,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  describe  it;  the  illustration  serves  every  pur- 
pose. Where  the  remains  of  the  feast  of  a 
"  varmint  "  are  left  in  the  woods — meat,  entrails, 
or  bones — squirrel  tracks  are  found  in  great  num- 
bers, and  the  tyro  is  liable  to  take  them  for  those 
of  other  animals.  Ordinarily  a  careful  look  is 
sufficient  to  disillusion  him,  both  as  to  the  identity 
of  the  tracks  and  the  diet  of  the  squirrel. 

Besides  tracks,  the  squirrel  leaves  other  signs 
which  betray  its  presence  in  the  woods — heaps  of 

148 


THE    SQUIRREL 


If 


I  o 


10 

I » 


•  • F, 

SQUIRREL.     (ABOUT  TWO-THIRDS  NATURAL  SIZE) 

cone  chips  near  stumps  and  other  elevations,  or 
strewn  under  trees  one  may  find  twigs  from  which 
buds  have  been  eaten.  Sometimes  the  cries  of 

149 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


birds  whose  nests  the  squirrel  may  be  robbing  of 
eggs  or  young,  will  betray  his  presence.  It  is 
an  entertaining  pastime  to  hunt  squirrels  with  a 
small-caliber  rifle. 

The  writer  considers  the  squirrel  one  of  the 
most  injurious  creatures  of  our  woods,  and  be- 
lieves that  in  hunting  him  it  is  better  to  use  some 
other  weapon  than  the  noisy  shotgun. 


150 


PART  ONE 

GROUP  III 


THE  MARTEN  AND  THE  BLACK- 
FOOTED  FERRET 

THOUGH  their  habitat  is  entirely  different, 
these  two  animals  make  very  similar  tracks 
and  trails,  so  they  are  properly  treated  of 
in  the  same  division. 

While  the  marten  is  a  resident  of  the  woods, 
the  black-footed  ferret  never  leaves  the  open 
prairie,  where  it  lives  in  abandoned  prairie-dog 
holes,  usually  leaving  its  hole  every  second  night, 
unless  it  happens  to  kill  a  rabbit.  It  is  the  most 
relentless  enemy  of  the  rabbit,  and  lives  almost 
exclusively  on  its  flesh. 

The  track  of  the  black- footed  ferret  is  about 
the  size  of  a  small  marten's,  but  in  soft  snow  the 
soles  of  the  toes  show  more  prominently  than 
those  of  the  latter,  whose  strongly  haired  feet 
usually  cause  the  sole  marks  to  appear  rather 
indistinct. 

Sometimes  the  trail  of  the  marten  looks  like 
that  of  the  cottontail,  but  if  followed  for  a  short 
distance  it  always  assumes  again  the  form  of  a 

153 


Front 


\ 


Back 

Marten  track  (one- third  natural  size) ,  showing  the  four  foot  marks  (not 
the  usual  jump,  see  trails).  The  black-footed  ferret  makes  a  slightly 
smaller  track  and  shows  not  quite  so  much  hair. 

parallel  trapeze,  the  evidence  of  the  usual  marten 
motion  to  which  the  ferret  adheres  at  all  times 
except  in  the  pursuit  of  prey. 

There  is  no  reason  for  mistaking  one  for  the 
other,  because,  as  aforesaid,  they  do  not  inhabit 
the  same  locality;  but  if  one  does  not  know  of 
the  existence  of  the  wild  ferret,  then,  of  course, 

154 


/ 


0 


00 


0 
0 

88 


*  * 


* ' 

* 
*•• 


I 


(1)  Marten  tracks.  The  lower  part  of  the  left-hand  drawing  shows  the 
usual  marten  motion,  namely,  the  jump.  The  upper  part  of  the 
same  drawing  shows  the  walk,  which  is  always  only  for  a  short 
distance.  (2)  The  black-footed  ferret  always  pairs  its  feet  and 
never  walks.  (3)  Running. 


TRACKS    AXD    TRACKING 


one  might  track  a  supposed  marten  on  the 
prairie — as  did  the  writer  when  he  first  came 
West — where  that  animal  never  has  been  found. 

Tracking  marten  and  shooting  them  is  as  suc- 
cessful a  method  as  trapping  them. 

If  ferrets  are  tracked  and  their  skin  is  wanted 
whole,  a  trap  not  smaller  than  a  No.  4  should 
be  set  at  the  entrance  of  the  hole,  as  the  pretty 
"  varmint  "  mutilates  himself  if  trapped  and  not 
soon  killed.  If  a  ferret  runs  a  rabbit  into  a  hole 
he  may  not  leave  it  for  two  or  three  weeks,  other- 
wise, as  stated,  the  ferret  usually  travels  forth 
every  second  night. 


156 


THE    OTTER 

IT  can  be  seen  from  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration of  front  and  hind  tracks  that  the 
footmarks  of  the  otter  are  rather  unusually 
round;  and  on  hard  ground,  which  allows  but  a 
slight  impression,  the  almost  circular  standing 
imprints  of  toes  and  heel  show  plainly.  If  the 
individual  tracks  are  invisible  in  dry  snow,  the 
form  of  the  trail,  together  with  the  drag  made 
at  intervals  by  the  long  tail  of  the  otter,  obviates 
any  doubt  as  to  what  animal  has  made  the  trail. 
The  otter  has  a  habit  of  leaving  the  streams 
along  which  he  lives,  or  which  he  visits,  at  regular 
places,  and  makes  what  are  called  slides  near 
which  parts  of  fish  are  frequently  scattered. 
Excrements  containing  fish  bones  found  on 
boulders  and  promontories  in  the  rivers  are  un- 
mistakable otter  signs  that  betray  his  presence, 
even  if  no  tracks  or  slides  are  seen  along  the 
banks  of  the  stream. 

157 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


A.. 


I 


R.H. 


OTTER.     (SIJGHTLY  LESS  THAN  HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

(A)  Right  forefoot  track.  (B)  Right  hind-foot  track.  (1)  Jumping. 
(2)  Walking.  (3)  Running.  The  shaded  line  shows  the  drag  of 
the  tail. 

The  otter  is  perhaps  the  greatest  wanderer 
among  the  mammals,  and  may,  therefore,  fre- 
quently be  found  where  he  was  supposed  to  be 
extinct;  though  if  he  visits  a  trout-stream  or 
pond  he  usually  makes  his  stay  long  enough  to 

158 


THE    OTTER 


deplete  it  to  a  greater  extent  than  a  host  of  fisher- 
men would. 

Where  otter  signs  are  seen  along  small  streams 
or  at  favorable  places  along  rivers,  waiting  for 
them  with  a  shotgun  during  evenings  and  moon- 
light nights  usually  yields  satisfactory  results. 
If  one  is  shot,  and  there  is  no  danger  of  the  cur- 
rent taking  it  away,  it  is  well  to  keep  quiet  for 
a  time,  as  they  often  fish  in  pairs,  and  the  second 
frequently  gives  as  good  a  chance  for  a  shot  as 
the  first. 

The  whistling  call  of  the  otter  can  easily  be 
imitated,  and  at  big  rivers  on  a  clear  night  call- 
ing them  is  good  sport.  However,  the  sports- 
man must  be  patient,  as  the  otter  will  answer 
immediately,  but  will  take  his  own  time  in  com- 
ing. On  small  streams  it  is  well  to  post  oneself 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  water,  as  otherwise  the 
otter  will  pass  unseen  in  the  shadow  of  the  bank. 

Sometimes  the  otter  travels  for  miles  on  land, 
and  if  daylight  surprises  him  there  he  will  hunt 
shelter  for  the  day  in  any  convenient  hole.  A 
trap  set  in  it,  and  the  entrance  closed  with  a  boul- 
der is  usually  the  easiest  way  to  get  his  skin. 

159 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


As  the  animal  is  especially  destructive  in  trout 
streams  the  sportsman  gunner  will  always  do  a 
great  favor  to  the  disciple  of  the  rod  when  he 
closes  the  career  of  one  of  these  four-footed 
poachers. 


160 


THE    MINK 

THE  mink  track  presents  some  similarity  to 
those  of  the  marten  and  the  black-footed 
ferret,  but  it  is  much  smaller  than  that  of 
the  marten,  and  the  toe-marks  are  even  more 
prominent  than  those  of  the  ferret,  for  which  it 
might  be  mistaken  at  times  if  it  were  not  that  the 
form  of  the  trails  is  different.  The  mink  never 
travels  for  long  distances  without  showing  at  least 
three  tracks  plainly  in  the  jump-picture,  while 
the  ferret  practically  never  does  this.  The  track 
of  the  ferret  is  found  near  ice-bound  streams  only 
when  it  crosses  them  to  reach  other  hunting- 
grounds,  while  the  mink,  being  almost  as  skilful 
at  catching  fish  as  the  otter,  generally  travels 
along  a  stream's  course. 

In  destructiveness  to  small  game  the  mink  is 
perhaps  only  equaled  by  the  domestic  cat,  which, 
in  remote  districts,  he  resembles  in  the  habit  of 
hunting  at  all  hours  of  the  day. 

161 


TRACKS    AXD    TRACKING 


A 

2                       3 

1 

\ 
I 

; 

1 

I 

\ 

i 

i 

i 

*9 
fl 

1  i 

I     v 

f 

MINK.     (LESS  THAN  ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

(A)  Left  front-track.     (B)  Hind-tracks  (a  characteristic  track  picture). 
(1)  Ordinary  jump.     (2)  Easy  running.     (3)  Running. 

Trapping  is  practically  the  only  paying 
method  of  hunting  him.  When  he  goes  up- 
stream he  leaves  the  water  below  rapids  and  trav- 
els along  its  edge  usually  until  he  again  reaches 
quiet  water.  If  a  trap  is  placed  in  the  interven- 

162 


THE    MINK 


MINK 

ing  space — the  trail  of  the  animal  will  show  the 
trapper  the  best  point — every  mink  in  that  vicin- 
ity may  be  caught  without  the  trouble  of  baiting 
traps,  which  is  a  rather  uncertain  method  where 
game  and  fish  are  plentiful. 

163 


THE    ERMINE 

A-^L  lovers  of  our  feathered  song-birds  kill 
the  weasel  at  every  opportunity,  believing1 
it  to  be  one  of  the  deadliest  enemies  to  bird- 
life;  and  if  sportsmen  bear  in  mind  that  every 
time  it  gets  a  chance  the  little  marauder  fastens 
its  teeth  in  the  neck  of  a  grouse  or  a  rabbit,  they 
will  undoubtedly  show  it  no  mercy.  Consider- 
ing, however,  the  number  of  injurious  rodents  it 
kills,  it  is  doubtful  if  this  "  little  marten  "  is,  on 
the  whole,  more  destructive  than  useful.  Cer- 
tainly it  does  no  more  harm  than  the  absolutely 
useless  squirrel.  I  leave  it  to  others  to  argue 
whether  it  should  be  killed  or  spared.  I  do  not 
spare  it  in  ruffed  grouse  cover  and  near  home, 
where  I  wish  to  give  the  birds  absolute  protection. 
Its  tracks  and  trail,  with  the  exception  of  the 
walk,  which  the  weasel  does  not  use  where  it  could 
be  tracked,  are  exact  miniatures  of  those  of  its 
large  relative,  the  marten,  and  are,  judging  from 
personal  observations,  frequently  mistaken  for 

164 


THE    ERMINE 


those  of  other  animals  even  by  sportsmen  of  long 
standing.  One  will  mistake  its  trail  for  that  of 
the  deer,  another  for  that  of  a  coyote,  fox  or 
lynx,  and  still  another,  under  favorable  tracking 
conditions,  will  confound  its  track  with  that  of 
the  mink  or  ferret.  In  loose  snow,  when  its  trail 
is  likely  to  be  mistaken  for  that  of  any  of  those 
mentioned,  it  should  be  considered  that  the  jumps 
of  the  ermine  constantly  vary  in  length,  while  the 
individual  tracks  made  by  the  other  named  ani- 
mals usually  stand  a  regular  distance  apart. 

If  the  tracker  follows  an  ermine's  tracks  which 
he  takes  to  be  those  of  a  mink,  he  should  soon  dis- 
cover that  the  animal  has  entered  every  hole  and 
crevice  along  the  trail,  and  that,  judging  by  the 
number  of  tracks  around  them,  it  found  rock 
piles,  logs,  brush  heaps,  etc.,  very  interesting 
and  attractive.  Now,  marten  or  mink  investi- 
gate these  things  simply  by  passing  over  or 
through  them — if  they  do  not  stop  inside — but 
they  never  make  regular  paths  around  them  as 
the  ermine  does.  Besides  this,  the  ermine  makes 
a  track  hardly  one-third  as  large  as  that  of  a 
small  marten. 

165 


I! 

M 


^ 


11 


01 


TRACKS.    (HIND  FEET,  LIFE  SIZE) 
(1)  Ordinary  jump.     (2)  Running. 


THE    ERMINE 


I  have  again  and  again  pointed  out  the  above 
features  to  men  with  whom  I  have  hunted,  yet, 
presumably  on  account  of  not  being  thrown  on 
their  own  resources  at  the  time,  they  seemingly 
paid  little  attention  to  them,  for  I  observed  that 
they  repeated  their  mistakes  just  as  soon  as  op- 
portunity offered.  The  secret  of  successful  trail- 
ing can  be  acquired  only  by  the  careful  and 
observant. 

The  features  of  a  track  or  trail,  once  they  are 
thoroughly  impressed  on  the  mind,  will  always 
be  remembered ;  and  he  who  is  too  careless  to  take 
note  of  them,  even  when  they  are  pointed  out, 
has  only  himself  to  blame  if  he  spends  time — 
hours  perhaps — in  the  pursuit  of  the  trail  of  an 
animal  he  does  not  want. 


167 


PART  ONE 

GROUP  IV 


THE    BEAVER 


THE  beaver  was  once  distributed  to  a  vast 
extent  all  over  the  globe,  but  is  now  found 
in  comparatively  few  sections  of  the  Old 
and  New  Worlds,  and  nowhere  in  great  abun- 
dance.    The  state  of  Montana,  which  until  re- 
cently had  the  largest  number  of  them  within  its 
boundaries,  joined,   during   1907,  those   States 


BEAVER 
171 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


BEAVER 

where  this  interesting  animal  is  practically  ex- 
tinct, and  the  blackening  "  beaver  stumps  "  along 
its  streams  bear  witness  to  the  shame  of  the  legis- 
lative assembly  of  1907,  which  left  the  beaver 
without  protection.  For  the  extermination  of  the 
beaver  in  this  State  the  wealthy  classes,  and  not 

172 


BEAVER  FEET  (ONE-THIRD  SIZE) 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


i 


BEAVER.     (ABOUT  ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 
(A)  Track  of  right  hind  foot.     (B)  Track  of  right  forefoot. 

the  trappers,  must  bear  the  blame,  for  without 
the  consent  of  the  former  the  trapper  could  not 
even  have  decreased  the  number  of  them  without 
endangering  his  own  liberty. 

Where  the  beaver  is  protected,  he   increases 
rapidly,  and  if  hunted  with  a  rifle,  he  affords  as 

174 


BEAVER  STUMP 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


THE  BEAVER'S  HOME 

much  excitement  as  any  game  that  roams  the 
woods. 

Business  instinct,  as  well  as  sportsmanship, 
should  urge  sportsmen  to  concerted  action  in 
order  to  preserve  and  increase  the  comparatively 
few  beaver  colonies  now  left  on  our  continent. 

The  beaver's  tracks  most  strikingly  represent 
the  fourth  group  of  mammals  in  this  treatise. 

176 


THE    BEAVER 


BEAVER  TRAILS  OR  SLIDES 

In  the  effort  to  support  and  steady  the  body 
adequately,  the  animal  endeavors  to  plant  its  feet 
as  near  as  possible  under  the  center  of  its  body, 
but  its  corpulency  prevents,  and  the  result  is  a 
track  so  ridiculous  that  it  is  laughable.  The  front 
tracks  are  covered  with  the  hind  feet,  the  third 
toe-nails  of  which  reach  the  center  line,  and  the 
heel  of  which  stand,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
specimen  which  made  the  trail,  from  four  to  eight 

177 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


inches  from  it.  The  nails  of  the  two 
»7\  inside  toes  of  the  hind  feet  are  but 
to  a  limited  extent  visible  as  the  web 
between  the  toes  protrudes  them. 
Where  the  beaver  is  scarce  and 
much  pursued,  the  imprint  of  a 
forefoot  near  the  water's  edge  may 
be  discovered  occasionally  here  and 
there ;  in  this  case  the  prominence  of 
the  toe-nails  is  unmistakable.  I 
may  state  here,  that  a  front  track 
at  the  water's  edge  is  often  the  only 
sign  which  may  be  found  along  a 
stream  where  beavers  have  become 
very  wary;  they  seem  to  be  able  to 
live  on  almost  nothing — leaves, 
roots,  etc. — for  not  a  single  cutting 
can  be  discovered  in  such  cases. 
BEAVER  TRAIL  Where  not  sought  extensively,  the 

The  third  toe  touches 

the  center  line,  hunter  seldom  notes  the  tracks  of 
this  aquatic  fur-bearer ;  cut  willows  or  tree  stumps 
are,  if  not  a  surer,  at  least  a  more  easily  distin- 
guished indication  of  their  presence,  while  on 
much-used  slides  the  tracks  could  not  be  seen 

178 


THE    BEAVER 


anywhere.  It  has  been  the  writer's  experience 
that  in  every  case  in  which  he  observed  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  house  by  one  of  these  animals,  the 
builder  was  invariably  a  female  providing  for  a 
happy  family  event. 


179 


THE    BADGER 

ON  our  continent  there  is  no  other  animal 
which  is  responsible  for  so  many  broken 
necks  and  limbs  as  the  badger.  While  in 
pursuit  of  his  prey,  he  digs  holes  in  the  ground, 
which  when  grown  over  with  weeds  or  grass,  are 
almost  certain  death-traps  for  the  unwary  rider. 

The  man  who  enjoys1  riding  after  wolves  or 
the  fox  considers  the  badger  as  a  menace,  and  is 
never  likely  to  look  upon  it  with  any  degree  of 
favor,  notwithstanding  its  decided  usefulness  as 
a  destroyer  of  undesirable  rodents.  I  myself 
bit  the  dust  of  the  prairie  four  times  within  a 
couple  of  months  on  account  of  this  animal, 
though  there  was  no  further  damage  than  a 
broken  gunstock  and  sore  limbs.  I  have  since 
killed  everyone  of  the  tribe  when  a  chance  offered, 
though  with  some  feeling  of  regret  on  account  of 
their  desirable  features. 

The  track  of  the  badger  is  striking  from  the 
prominence  of  the  five-nail  marks  of  the  fore- 

180 


THE    BADGER 


BADGER 

feet  and  the  twisted  inward  appearance  of  the 
hind  track  which  usually  stands  squarely  in  the 
front  track.  Considering  the  size  of  the  tracks, 
the  step-marks  stand  close  together — about  seven 
inches — and,  as  in  all  animals  of  this  group,  to 
some  extent  off  from  the  center  line. 

181 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


BADGER  TRACKS;  LEFT.     (SLIGHTLY  REDUCED) 

It  is  readily  tracked  down,  and  when  its  hole 
is  approached,  the  animal  frequently  exhibits  its 
head  as  a  target  from  its  curiosity  to  see  what 
is  coming.  If  run  into  a  hole,  it  will  almost  in- 

182 


THE    BADGER 


variably  reappear  within  a  few  minutes.  If  it 
offers  no  chance  for  a  shot,  a  trap  placed  at  the 
entrance  and  covered  nicely  generally  brings 
about  its  destruction.  If  no  trap  is  at  hand  it 
can  be  confined  to  its  hole  by  tying  a  piece  of 
paper  or  a  rag  to  a  stick  and  placing  it  not  less 
than  two  feet  from  the  entrance,  which  will  pre- 
vent its  leaving  the  hole  for  twenty- four  hours  or 
so.  This  is  a  surer  method  of  keeping  the  animal 
a  prisoner  than  blocking  the  entrance,  and  works 
satisfactorily  also  with  other  marauders  that  take 
to  holes. 

A  fox  can  usually  be  held  thus  for  several 
days,  and  by  this  ruse  I  have  actually  starved 
two  of  them  to  death.  There  was  in  each  case 
three  entrances,  and  but  one  trap  at  hand,  which 
was  in  both  instances  uncovered  by  the  prisoners 
during  the  first  night. 

As  the  ground  was  frozen  hard,  I  did  not  wish 
to  bother  with  setting  the  trap  at  another  en- 
trance, so  I  left  things  as  they  were,  after  cover- 
ing the  instrument  again.  But  the  foxes  knew 
it  was  there  all  the  same,  and  did  not  again  try 
to  leave  their  prison  by  that  exit,  and  the  other 

183 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


I 


Scale 


1  foot 

BADGER 

(A)  Walking.     (B)  Running. 

entrances  were  guarded  by  that  fearful  specter 
of  paper.  Finally  each  one  died  about  eight 
feet  from  the  scarecrow — about  five  feet  inside 
the  hole,  which  was  examined  daily — one  during 

184 


THE    BADGER 


the  nineteenth,  and  the  other  during  the  twenty- 
second  day  of  their  imprisonment.  Had  the 
ground  not  been  frozen  so  hard  as  it  was,  the 
experiment  would  have  been  unsuccessful,  as  each 
of  the  foxes  would  of  course  have  dug  out  at 
some  other  spot.  The  latter  method  of  escape 
will  be  employed  by  the  badger  in  every  case 
where  the  trap  is  not  properly  covered. 


185 


THE    PORCUPINE 

IT  may  appear  out  of  place  to  discuss  this 
creature  which  has  no  sportive  quality  what- 
ever, but  its  trail  is  so  conspicuous  in  snow 
that  it  cannot  be  passed  without  being  noticed, 
and  the  tyro,  attracted  by  the  size  of  the  tracks, 
will  in  many  instances  follow  it,  thinking  he  is  on 
the  trail  of  something  else. 

A  short  time  ago  I  trailed  a  supposedly  lost, 
inexperienced  hunting  companion  who  had  run 
across  the  trail  of  a  "  bear,"  as  he  thought,  and 
followed  and  killed  "  Bruin,"  who  happened  to 
be  up  a  tree.  When  I  caught  up  with  the  young 
fellow,  he  was  contemplating  his  broken  gun- 
stock,  smashed  in  finishing  the  "  varmint,"  but 
proudly  exhibited,  to  my  great  hilarity,  the 
"  bear  "  which  may  have  weighed  about  twenty 
pounds,  and  whose  fur  consisted  mainly  of  quills. 

Before  I  got  acquainted  with  the  "  pine- 
porker,"  I  tried  in  vain  for  a  period  of  four 

186 


THE    PORCUPIXE 


PORCUPINE 

months  to  ascertain  the  identity  of  an  animal 
whose  tracks  I  frequently  saw  on  a  road.  Only 
the  marks  of  the  soles  were  visible  there,  and 
none  of  the  many  men  I  asked  knew  that  track, 
though  they  knew  the  animal  which  made  it  very 

187 


'«'•*/ 


PORCUPINE  TRACKS 

(1)  Walk.     (2)  Run. 


THE    PORCUPINE 


FEET  OF  THE  PORCUPINE 

Four  toes  on  front  and  five  toes  on  hind  feet  (about  one-half  natural  size) 

well,  as  developed  later,  when  tracking1  conditions 
became  so  that  I  could  follow  the  trail  to  its  end. 

189 


SIGN  OF  THE  PORCUPINE 

(Bark  eaten  from  the  tree) 


THE    PORCUPINE 


If  conditions  are  half-favorable,  the  imprints 
of  the  toe-nails — four  on  the  forefeet  and  five  on 
the  hind  feet — are  always  visible. 

If  the  snow  is  a  few  inches  deep,  the  tracks 
stand  in  a  trough-shaped  trail  because  the  ani- 
mal's body  almost  touches  the  ground.  The  toes 
point  inward,  and  almost  touch  the  center  line. 
In  the  snowless  woods  numerous  small  dead  trees 
attract  the  attention  of  even  those  not  interested 
in  forestry.  If  these  trees  are  examined  they  will 
reveal  the  mark  of  the  porcupine,  easily  recog- 
nized by  the  partly  eaten  bark. 

Along  the  streams  of  the  Bad  Lands  the  limbs 
of  cottonwood  trees  are  sometimes  depleted  of 
every  vestige  of  bark,  which  loss  ultimately 
causes  the  death  of  the  trees.  Where  forests  are 
cared  for  on  an  economical  basis,  the  porcupine 
is  certainly  a  proper  subject  for  extermination. 

Their  meat  is  excellent  if  fried  quickly  in  hot 
lard;  roasted,  or  cooked  slowly,  it  emits  an  odor 
repellent  even  to  a  hungry  man. 


191 


THE    SKUNK 

THOUGH  an  inexcusable  intruder  in  the 
chicken  coop  and  where  game  birds  are 
raised,  the  skunk  is  decidedly  useful  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  forester  or  of  the  farmer. 
In  the  writer's  opinion,  sportsmen  if  they  en- 
counter him  in  the  woods  should  cease  to  kill  the 
animal  just  because  it  is  "  only  a  skunk  ";  others 
of  the  fraternity  advance  the  "  just  because " 
argument  if  they  are  questioned  why  they 
"  shoot  "  the  nests  of  useful  hornets.  The  skunk 
may  rob  a  few  birds'  nests  during  the  summer, 
but  his  main  diet  consists  of  larvse  and  berries, 
and  by  destroying  the  former  he  is  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  forests  and  fields  near  his  residence. 

I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that  his  introduc- 
tion and  absolute  protection  in  localities  where 
moths,  butterflies  and  the  like,  in  their  undevel- 
oped stage,  have  become  a  menace,  would  greatly 
help  to  solve  the  problem  of  rendering  these  pests 
harmless. 

With  every  skunk  we  kill  we  interfere  with  the 
192 


SKUNK 

(A)  Front  track.     (B)  Hind  track   (life  1 1 

siz  ).     (1)  Easy  lope.     (*)  Walk.  ff 


THE    SKUNK 


balance  of  nature,  and  the  resulting  deficit  has 
finally  to  be  met  with  the  pocketbook  by  paying 
for  artificial  substitutes  for  nature,  which  if  left 
alone  would  do  the  work  much  better. 

In  the  summer  woods  it  is  not  so  much  the 
skunk's  tracks  which  tell  of  his  presence  and 
merits,  as  the  numerous  small  holes  in  the  ground, 
about  a  couple  of  inches  deep,  from  which  the 
animal  procures  the  larvae  there  awaiting  the  final 
stage  of  development. 

The  soles  of  the  skunk's  feet  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  badger,  while  their  size  about  cor- 
responds with  that  of  the  domestic  cat;  the 
toe-nails  always  show  conspicuously  under  fair 
tracking  conditions. 

The  individual  tracks  stand  about  half  as  far 
apart  as  do  those  of  the  domestic  cat,  and  are 
always  considerably  out  of  line.  Like  the  other 
members  of  this  group,  the  skunk  betrays  himself 
by  his  trail;  he  is  a  slow  animal,  and  presumably 
would  not  put  on  speed  if  he  were  capable  of  it, 
since,  when  foraging  he  is  never  in  a  hurry,  and 
if  molested  it  is  usually  the  disturber  who  prefers 
to  employ  speed. 

194 


PART  TWO 


FEATHERED    GAME 


FEATHERED  GAME 

IT  is  out  of  the  question  to  treat  the  signs 
and  tracks  of  birds  with  the  same  thorough- 
ness as  those  of  mammals,  because  the  tracks 
of  several  birds  reproduce  exactly  those  of  domes- 
tic fowls,  and  those  made  by  young  birds  of  one 
kind  may  look  like  those  of  old  birds  of  another 
variety.     A  description  of  bird  tracks  will,  how- 
ever, be  found  interesting,  and  perhaps  useful 
at  certain  times,  especially  by  the  inexperienced 
hunter. 

The  locality  where  a  given  track  is  seen  is  the 
main  point  to  be  considered.  Tame  turkeys  and 
domestic  chickens  do  not,  as  a  rule,  venture  great 
distances  from  the  barnyard,  so  if  tracks  similar 
to  theirs  are  seen  far  from  human  habitation,  it 
is  usually  safe  to  conclude  that  wild  birds  made 
them.  In  the  case  of  waterfowls1,  however,  even 
the  consideration  -of  the  locality,  under  certain 
circumstances,  does  not  exclude  errors;  so  the 
hunter,  if  he  sees  tracks  from  which  he  might 

197 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


deduce  the  presence  of  these  birds  in  his  immedi- 
ate locality,  should  employ  his  resources  to  find 
out  for  certain  whether  his  deductions  are  correct 
or  not.  The  descriptions  are  of  necessity  limited, 
and  the  reader  should  study  the  illustrations  as 
the  more  important  part  of  the  matter. 


198 


UPLAND   BIRDS 


The  tracks  of  this,  the  largest  of  game  birds, 
differ  in  nowise  from  those  of  the  domestic 
kind.  In  the  woods — in  wild  turkey  country — 
they  usually  indicate  their  presence  by  scratch- 
ing up  the  ground  cover  in  search  of  food,  just 
as  domestic  fowls  do  under  similar  circumstances, 
and  by  their  droppings-.  The  latter  are  the  more 
important  as  a  means  of  identification. 

Wild  turkeys,  when  habitually  or  temporarily 
frequenting  a  given  locality,  have  their  favorite 
trees  upon  which  they  roost,  and  under  these 
trees  the  droppings  will  be  very  plentiful.  Some 
hunters  wait  at  such  roosting  places  during  the 
evening  or  morning  and  get  their  game;  some- 
times the  bird  may  have  treed  five  hundred  yards 
or  more  away,  but  the  expert,  who  is  not  given 
to  guesswork,  makes  it  his  purpose  to  ascertain 
all  the  turkey  trees  in  a  district,  notes  the  easiest 

199 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


way  to  approach  them,  and  then,  during  the  early 
evening  hours  he  will,  from  a  convenient  point, 
mark  down  the  birds  which  he  hears  treeing. 
Then  during  the  hour  before  daybreak  he  will 
go  noiselessly  as  near  as  possible  to  a  roosting 
tree  which  he  knows  harbors  one  or  more  turkeys, 
and  after  it  is  light  enough  to  shoot  he  will  ex- 
perience little  trouble  in  stalking  as  close  as  is 
necessary  to  get  his  bird. 

The  Sage  Grouse 

The  track  of  the  sage  hen  is  about  the  size  of 
that  of  a  small  domestic  chicken,  but  the  toes  at 
their  base  are  somewhat  broader,  giving  the  entire 
track  a  different  aspect. 

In  the  spring  and  autumn  months  the  birds 
frequent  sagebrush  flats  and  hillsides,  and  during 
the  early  autumn  they  seek  the  vicinity  of  water, 
and  there,  if  it  were  not  that  their  toes  are  rather 
short  in  comparison  with  their  broadness,  the 
tracks  might  be  mistaken  for  those  of  the 
pheasant  in  any  place  where  that  game  bird  has 
been  introduced. 

200 


TURKEY.     (LARGE  DRAWING  TWO-THIRDS 
NATURAL  SIZE) 

(1)  Walking.     (2)  Strutting. 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


PHEASANT.     (NATURAL  SIZE) 

Pheasant 

The  middle  toe  of  the  pheasant  stands  almost 
in  a  straight  line  in  the  trail,  and  this  feature  is 
the  most  striking  one  whereby  to  distinguish  its 
track  from  the  tracks  of  any  of  our  native  game 
birds. 


FEATHERED    GAME 


Ruffed  Grouse. 


(Two-thirds  natural  size) 

Grouse 


Blue  Grouse. 


The  members  of  this  class,  in  which  are  in- 
cluded the  various  varieties  of  the  ruffed  grouse 
and  those  of  the  Spruce  or  Blue  grouse,  all  spread 
their  feet  in  similar  fashion,  and  walk  with  the 
middle  toes  pointed  inward  to  a  considerable 

203 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


RUFFED  GROUSE 

degree.  Because  of  this  similarity  the  size  of 
the  tracks  and  the  length  of  steps  are  the  only 
means  by  which  to  identify  the  particular  species 
which  made  them.  The  ruffed  grouse  make  the 
shortest  steps  and  the  smallest  tracks. 

204 


FEATHERED    GAME 


BLUE  GROUSE 

The  illustrations  show  the  tracks  and  trail  of  a 
dusky  grouse  of  ordinary  size,  and  of  an  unusu- 
ally big  ruffed  grouse  cock. 

The  drawings  were  made  under  ideal  tracking 
conditions ;  and  only  then  is  it  possible  to  note  the 
difference  in  the  number  of  the  knots  of  the 

205 


TRACKS    AND    TRACKING 


SHARP-TAILED  GROUSE 

middle  toe.  Though,  as  a  general  rule,  the 
ruffed  grouse  usually  frequents  rather  low  coun- 
try and  the  blue-grouse  tribe  is  generally  found 
on  high  grounds,  the  locality  where  a  track  is  seen 
gives  no  sure  indication  of  the  species.  The 

206 


FEATHERED    GAME 


/•'  /^ 


Sharp-tailed  Grouse.      (Two-thirds  natural  size)      Sage  Grouse. 

writer  has  frequently  encountered  the  ruffed 
grouse  at  altitudes  of  over  seven  thousand  feet, 
and  the  blue  grouse  lower  down  than  he  ever 
found  the  ruffed  variety. 


207 


Prairie  Chickens 

From  the  prairi'e  hen  to  the  sharp-tailed  grouse, 
they  all  belong  to  one  order  as  far  as  their  tracks 
are  concerned.  A  prairie  chicken  does  not  spread 
the  toes  to  the  same  extent  as  does  the  grouse  of 
the  woods,  and  the  middle  toes  stand  also  some- 
what straighter  in  the  line  of  the  trail.  The 
tracks  made  by  the  sharp-tailed  grouse  are  al- 
ways of  a  rather  blurred  appearance  because  of 
the  heavily  feathered  feet. 

Quail 

The  size  of  the  quail's  track  is  about  that  of  a 
domestic  pigeon.  A  peculiarity  of  the  track  is 
that  the  mark  of  the  hind  toe  stands  compara- 
tively far  off  from  the  track  on  account  of  its 
singular  disproportion  to  the  size  of  the  foot. 

In  the  pursuit  of  grouse,  chickens,  etc.,  the 
hunter  usually  notes  tracks  less  than  other  signs. 
Foremost  among  the  latter  are  the  places'  where 
the  birds  take  sand  baths,  where  stray  feathers 
will  usually  be  found.  Countless  interwoven 

208 


FEATHERED    GAME 


QUAIL.     (NATURAL  SIZE) 

small  paths,  leading  everywhere  and  nowhere  in 
grass  and  grain  fields,  are  infallible  signs  that 
birds  have  fed  there. 

Woodcock 

The  neatest  bird  track  seen  in  upland  hunting 
is,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  that  of  the  woodcock. 
True,  this  fascinating  Long-face  has  generally 
gone  to  warmer  climes  before  winter  sets  in,  but 

209 


TRACKS   AND    TRACKING 


WOODCOCK.     (NATURAL  SIZE) 

occasionally  an  early  snowstorm  catches  him,  and 
then  his  tracks  are  a  striking  feature  near  springy 
places  in  forests,  or  under  dense  trees  that  hold 
most  of  the  snow  aloft  on  their  branches.  The 
splendid  imprints  are  as  unmistakable  among 
bird  tracks  as  the  tracks  of  the  mountain  sheep 
among  big  game,  and  as  unforgettable  if  once 
seen. 


210 


WATERFOWLS 

Swans,  Geese,  Ducks 

The  tracks  of  these  aquatic  game  birds  are  so 
much  alike  that  only  the  difference  in  size  makes 
it  possible  to  distinguish  the  species  and  varieties 
of  ducks  and  geese;  if  they  are  of  similar  size 
they  cannot  possibly  be  told  apart.  Where  the 
tracks  are  seen  during  cold  weather  at  small  open 
streams  or  springs,  it  is  certain  that  the  birds  visit 
there  at  night,  doubtlessly  coming  from  a  big 
stream  or  lake,  perhaps  many  miles  distant;  by 
waiting  for  them  at  sundown  royal  sport  can  be 
obtained.  During  summer,  on  grassy  places 
near  water,  young  geese  and  ducks  usually  make 
numerous  small  paths,  similar  to  those  made  by 
upland  birds,  but  broader. 


o 


1 

H 


(A)  Duck,    mallard    size.      (One- 
half  natural  size) 

(B)  Goose.        (Cue-half     natural 
size) 

(Q  Trail  of  Swan,  Gtrsc  and 
Ducks. 


PREDATORY    BIRDS 

The  Great  Horned  Owl 

The  great  horned  owl  is  of  interest  to  the 
sportsman  merely  by  reason  of  the  depredations 
which  some  members  of  this  tribe  commit  on 
small  game.  Where  not  forced  by  a  scarcity  of 
small  game  to  subsist  on  mice,  etc.,  this  owl  lives 
almost  exclusively  on  rabbits  and  birds.  The 
writer  remembers  an  instance  where  one  specimen 
killed  every  beaver  kid  and  muskrat  on  a  creek 
several  miles  along  its  course.  The  owl's  tracks 
are  very  rarely  seen,  but  from  the  undigested 
refuse  which  he  ejects  through  his  mouth  (for  he 
swallows  all  his  prey,  hair,  bones,  etc.,  when 
feeding)  frequently  found  thickly  strewn  under 
his  favorite  roosting  trees  (usually  densely 
branched),  it  can  readily  be  ascertained  what  the 
light-shy  fellow  lives  on,  and  if  he  proves  io  be 
an  outlaw,  his  death  will  benefit  the  hunting 
ground. 


FEATHERED    GAME 


Hawks 

Notwithstanding  claims  to  the  contrary,  all 
hawks,  with  the  exception  of  the  sparrow  hawk, 
are  injurious.  Even  the  much-lauded  marsh  hawk 
in  open  districts  lives  exclusively  on  small  birds, 
that  is,  at  least,  in  the  West.  In  timbered  coun- 
try, where  he  is  too  ungainly  to  catch  winged 
prey,  by  force  of  necessity  he  has  to  subsist  on 
small  injurious  rodents  which  he  can  catch  in  the 
open. 

Whoever  has  observed  with  open  eyes  and  an 
open  mind  the  actions  of  hawks,  knows  that  ft 
will  pay  the  sportsmen  well  to  fill  them  with 
lead  at  every  opportunity.  Imitating  their  mat- 
ing call — an  easy  matter — is  the  most  satisfactory 
method  of  getting  them  within  range,  and  it  is 
also  a  very  entertaining  pastime  during  the  close 
season.  The  hunter  selects  a  good  cover  for  him- 
self in  a  locality  which  he  knows  or  suspects  to 
be  infested  by  the  pests,  and  sounds  his  cac-cac- 
cac — or,  kee-kee-kee-e-e — 'dependent  upon  which 
variety  of  eagles  or  hawks  he  wishes  to  call,  and 
if  a  hawk  is  within  hearing,  he  is  never  long  in 

coming. 

215 


SHARP-SHINNED  HAWK 


FEATHERED    GAME 


WILSON'S  SXTPE 

Various    Birds 

For  the  sake  of  comparison,  and  because  also 
some  of  them  are  very  interesting,  results  of  my 
observations  of  the  tracks  of  several  birds  not  of 
the  game  class  are  herewith  given. 

217 


* 


HERON  TRACKS.     (ONE-HALF  NATURAL  SIZE) 

Bittern  is  the  same  form,  hut  smaller.     (The  large  drawing  is  of  the 
right  track.) 


Tracks  of  (1)  Flamingo  (one-half  natural   si/..-).    (2)   Plover  (one-half 
natural  size).   (3)  Gull  (one- half  natural  size).   (4)  Dove  (full  size). 


A     000672777     0 


